How older people account for their experiences with interactive technology

Turner, Phil; Turner, Susan; Van de Walle, Guy

Abstract

We present a qualitative study, undertaken over a period of nine months, of older people facing the challenges of learning to use interactive technology, specifically personal computers (PCs) and the internet. We examine the range of causal explanations (attributions) voiced by the group in accounting for their difficulties with it. A discourse analysis of these data reveals some factors (anxiety, age-related issues, being too busy to learn and the need for a purpose for the new tools) that support the work of other researchers, while other themes (issues around alienation, identity and agency) deepen understanding of this domain. The implications of the results for how we approach understanding the difficulties faced by older people in this context are discussed

Citation

Turner, P., Turner, S., & Van de Walle, G. (2007). How older people account for their experiences with interactive technology. Behaviour and Information Technology, 26(4), 287-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290601173499

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2007-07
• Deposit Date: Jan 12, 2010
• Print ISSN: 0144-929X
• Electronic ISSN: 1362-3001
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 287-296
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290601173499
• Keywords: causal explanations; internet; learned helplessness; older adults
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/3519
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01449290601173499