“If you weren't connected to the Internet, you were not alive”: experience of using social technology during COVID-19 in adults 50+

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Danielle Langlois¹  Sarah Kuballa²  Martin Simecek²  Marlena R. Fraune²  Jennifer M. Rheman²  Danya Parson²  Harrison Preusse²  Katrina Ling²  Katherine M. Tsui³ 

[1] Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia;Intergroup Human-Robot Interaction Lab, Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States;Toyota Research Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States;

关键词: older adults;    social technology;    loneliness;    COVID-19;    mental health;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177683

 received in 2023-03-01, accepted in 2023-09-12,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionLoneliness and social isolation reduce physical and mental wellbeing. Older adults are particularly prone to social isolation due to decreased connection with previous social networks such as at workplaces. Social technology can decrease loneliness and improve wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted quarantine and social distancing for many people, creating a context of widespread social isolation.MethodIn the current study, we interviewed middle-aged and older adults' (n = 20) about their use of social technology when social isolation was common: during the early part of the pandemic while social isolation and masking were still required in the United States, between August 2020 and June 2021.We analyzed the data using three-phase coding. We compare our results against the model of the bidirectional and dynamic relationship between social internet use and loneliness.ResultsWe found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, our participants experienced decreased social interaction and moved toward online interaction. Participant use of social technology supported the stimulation hypothesis - that is, they used it to maintain existing relationships and social connection. The findings also add novel evidence that the stimulation hypothesis endures for older adults during enforced isolation (in this case due to the COVID- 19 pandemic).DiscussionBased on our data, we also propose adding the presence or realism of connection via social technology as a main factor to the model and engaging with construal level theory of social presence to fill in critical variables of this relationship. We further find that digital exclusion acts as a barrier to obtaining benefits from stimulation via social technology and recommend that further research examined digital exclusion in relation to the bidirectional and dynamic model. Finally, we discuss recommendations for improving social technology to benefit middle-aged and older adults.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Ling, Langlois, Preusse, Rheman, Parson, Kuballa, Simecek, Tsui and Fraune.