Technology Use by Older Adults

Researchers examining technology use among older adults investigate how people in later life adopt, adapt to, and are shaped by digital tools — from internet access and smartphones to health-monitoring devices and social platforms. A central concern is the digital divide: older adults remain disproportionately less connected than younger populations, and that gap carries real consequences for social isolation, access to healthcare information, and economic participation. Gerontechnology, the subdiscipline devoted to designing technology that fits the cognitive and physical realities of aging, pushes back against the assumption that mainstream devices are adequate with minor adjustments. Open questions include how inclusive design principles can be embedded earlier in product development cycles, and how social support networks — family, community, healthcare providers — influence whether older adults sustain technology use over time rather than abandoning it after initial adoption.

Works

44,264

Total citations

328,474

Keywords

Older AdultsTechnology UseInternetSocial IsolationDigital DivideGerontechnology