Abstract

REBELO, Catarina. The use of the Internet and Facebook by the elders in Portugal: an exploratory study. OBS* [online]. 2015, vol.9, n.3, pp.129-153. ISSN 1646-5954.

This article is focused on the interests and motivations of Portuguese older people to use the Internet and Facebook. Although the increasing mediation of society through the use of technology and the aging of the population are two main society trends, few studies have been analyzing the use of information and communication technologies by senior citizens. We reflect about the digital divide, the network society and the aging of the population while also trying to understand how literacy issues, age related biological limitations and motivations keep older people away from using the Internet. This article is an exploratory and qualitative study, conducted with four senior citizens living in the Lisbon area and being users of the Internet and Facebook. More than information, the elders that go online seem to seek access to their personal contacts and memories. There seems to be also some lack of interest in the contents and the lines of technology probably related to certain generational values and preferences (Arnoldi & Colombo, 2007) that are not represented on the Internet, which is shaped by generations with more digital literacies.

Keywords : old people; digital divide; Internet; Facebook; network society.

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