Abstract

A «multiage» society needs the design and creation of new areas of learning and communication to manage the digital demands of the elderly. In this article, the relation of the elderly to information and communication technologies (ICT) is approached and two objectives are considered: to discover the technological resources they use and to objectively describe the types of usage that senior citizens make of ICT. To that end, a survey technique is used, with the results validated by means of discussion groups. The study participants consisted of 215 elderly people, all ICT users, and 7 discussion groups of 5 people each. The results indicate that the resources most widely used by the elderly are computers and the Internet, and the type of usage is grouped into 4 categories: education, information, communication and entertainment. There were no significant differences in gender or age although differences were found in the availability of these resources for private use based on the level of education.

Abstract

El uso de internet por parte de las personas mayores para realizar gestiones con la administración pública y las empresas no ha sido suficientemente estudiado. El objetivo de este trabajo es profundizar en las razones del empleo limitado de la administración electrónica y los trámites online por parte de los internautas mayores. A través de una metodología cualitativa, basada en cuatro grupos de discusión, se analizan las motivaciones y frenos en la utilización de tales trámites. Los resultados indican una aceptación del empleo de los recursos electrónicos para las tareas más rutinarias y sencillas debido a la rapidez y comodidad que proporcionan, al tiempo que fomentan la autonomía y el empoderamiento de las personas mayores. Si bien, se plantea una serie de aspectos que condicionan negativamente su utilización, sobre los que se debe incidir para favorecer una mayor inclusión digital de este grupo poblacional. AbstractThe use of the Internet by the senior citizens in order to manage operations with the government and companies requires further study. The objective of this work is to take a close look at the reasons why older people make limited use of e-administration and online procedures. Using a qualitative methodology, based on four focus groups, we analyze the motivations and problems they find when using such procedures. The results indicate acceptance of electronic resources for simple and routine tasks due to the speed and convenience they offer, which simultaneously promotes the independence and empowerment of older people. However, there is a series of factors which have a negative effect on their use, and these must be dealt with in order to favor greater digital inclusion of this age demographic.

Abstract

The use of the Internet by the senior citizens in order to manage operations with the government and companies requires further study. The objective of this work is to take a close look at the reasons why older people make limited use of e-administration and online procedures. Using a qualitative methodology, based on four focus groups, we analyze the motivations and problems they find when using such procedures. The results indicate acceptance of electronic resources for simple and routine tasks due to the speed and convenience they offer, which simultaneously promotes the independence and empowerment of older people. However, there is a series of factors which have a negative effect on their use, and these must be dealt with in order to favor greater digital inclusion of this age demographic.