0000000000628040
AUTHOR
Sanna Kuoppamäki
Digital Home: Life Transitions and Digital Domestic Practices in Later Life
As older adults become active users of digital technologies, digital activity among this age group is increasingly associated with life stage factors. This paper discusses the understanding of life stage as explanatory factors in older adults’ digital engagement by exploring the association between life transitions and digital domestic practices in Finland. The study is based on an analysis of qualitative, in-person interview data from 20 participants between the ages of 50 and 78 who recently bought their own apartment in Western or Central Finland. The aims are to identify variances of life transitions in relation to domestic practices, investigate the association between life transitions…
Enhancing Older Adults’ Digital Inclusion Through Social Support : A Qualitative Interview Study
AbstractA lack of social support can hinder older adults’ digital inclusion. This chapter examines the connection between social and digital inclusion by focusing on the process of acquiring social support for digital technology use among older adults in Finland. Building on the concept of warm expert, the chapter shows that acquiring support for digital technology use is a reciprocal process that both enhances and requires digital inclusion. A qualitative analysis of 22 participant-induced elicitation interviews was conducted with older adults aged between 57 and 89. The chapter shows that social support reinforces digital inclusion by (a) ensuring older adults’ access to technology, (b) c…