A study by two researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) denies that older people do not use new communication technologies and reveals that most have mobile phone and use it especially to call and write and receive messages by whatsapp
, but also to play.
“The digital divide affects older people, which suggests that they do not have digital life, but you just have to go out on the street or take public transport to see how this perception is a stereotype. Digital practices in old age are rich and
Different “, according to the authors of the study, Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol and Andrea Rosales.
The two work in the Research Group Communication Networks & Social Change (CNSC) of the UOC Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and have analyzed data on the use of smartphone in elderly people from Canada, Spain, Holland and Sweden.
The study concludes that half of the accesses on the mobile of the elders who have participated in the study corresponds to calls (including those made with whatsapp and telegram) and instant messaging.
Regarding the popularity of the applications, whatsapp occupies the first position predominantly, while in the second position there are differences of use between younger people and the oldest of this study: while Facebook is the second most popular application
Between those of 60 and 69, Gmail is between 70 and 79 years old.
The researchers studied the activity of mobile phones of 300 users between 60 and 79 years for four weeks (between February and May 2019).
The study concludes that half of the mobile uses among the elderly is to call or use the messaging, including voice calls with whatsapp and telegram, followed by the use of online social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter.
“It is interesting to check the creation, sharing and consumption of photographs, videos and audios. By other studies we know that, in the concrete case of Spain, the photos are even more popular than conventional voice calls among Internet users of 60 or more
“, Fernández-Ardèvol says.
Below are the games (4th position), such as Candy Crush (game) or Billionaire (Game of Azar);
Online shopping applications, such as Amazon, and health and well-being, for example Fitbit.
The study notes a greater use of the mobile by the elderly during the day than during the night, they increase from 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning and fall from 8:00 p.m.
Among the youngest people in the study (60-69 years old), the most popular application is whatsapp, followed by Facebook and Gmail.
Among the group of older (70-79), while whatsapp remains the most popular, the second is Gmail and the third, Facebook.
Instagram and the mobile camera seem associated with the age, since between the twelve more used applications by the youngest (60-69 years), Instagram, but not the camera, just on the contrary in the group of oldest (70-
79 years).
“The results question myths that, if at some point were true, each time they are less,” according to Fernández-Ardèvol, which stresses that it is false that the elderly do not play in digital environments, since the games are the fourth category of applications
Mobile phones most used, ahead of the news and media query (5th position) or time applications (11th position).
