INTERNET USAGE BY THE ELDERLY IN SERBIA

Gordana Stojić

DOI Number
10.22190/FUPSPH1702103S
First page
103
Last page
115

Abstract


In the last decades, the problems of the elderly have attracted the attention of the scientific and wider public, thus imposing themselves as issues of public policies. The growth of interest in the elderly is conditioned by: the increasing share of the elderly in the overall population, the change of their social status as well as the development of new conceptual frames (social exclusion, marginalization, ageism). Today the elderly live in a society which is characterized by the expansion of information-communication technologies (ICT). The Internet is a means of more efficient and faster completion of various activities, satisfaction of different needs and access to social resources. On the other hand, the adoption of new technologies has taken on a different pace when it comes to the generation affiliation. That is why it is important to examine the degree to which older citizens successfully use these opportunities. The subject matter of the paper is Internet usage by the elderly. It points to the benefits the elderly are getting from Internet usage as well as the barriers they come across. Starting from the concept of the digital divide, Internet usage by the older Serbian population is analyzed. Finally, the measures to be taken to create favorable conditions for Internet usage by elderly are pointed out.


Keywords

the Elderly, the Internet, Access, Skills, Serbia

Full Text:

PDF

References


Bell, Daniel. The Coming of Postindustrial Society. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

Castells, Manuel. Informacijsko doba: ekonomija, društvo i kultura. Sv. I. Uspon umreženog društva. Zagreb: Golden marketing, 2000.

Castells, Manuel. Internet galaksija. Razmišljanja o Internetu, poslovanju i društvu. Zagreb: Naklada Jesenski i Turk, 2003.

DiMaggio, Paul, and Eszter Hargittai. “From the ‘Digital Divide’ to ‘Digital Inequalities’: Studying Internet Use as Penetration Increases”, Princeton University, Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Working Paper 15, 2001. Accessed January 17, 2016. http://www.princeton.edu/~artspol/workpap/WP15%20-%20DiMaggio+Hargittai.pdf.

DiMaggio, Paul, Eszter Hargittai, Neumann, W. Russell, and John, P. Robinson. “Social Implications of the Internet”. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 27 (2001), pp. 307–336.

Dobransky, Kerry, and Eszter Hargittai. “The Disability Divide in Internet Access and Use”. Information, Communication and Society, 9 (2006), pp. 313–334.

Gatto, Susan L., and Sunghee H. Tak. “Computer, Internet, and E-mail Use among Older Adults: Benefits and Barriers”. Educational Gerontology 34(2008), pp. 800–811.

Godfrey, Mary, and Owen Johnson. “Digital Circles of Support: Meeting the Information Needs of Older People”. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(2009), pp. 633–642.

Hargittai, Eszter. (2002) “Second-Level Digital Divide: Differences in People’s Online Skills”. First Monday, 7(2002). Accessed January 15, 2016. http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/942/864.

Mellor, David, Lucy Firth, andKathleen Moore. (2008) “Can the Internet Improve the Well-being of the Elderly?”. Aging International,32(2008), pp. 25–42.

Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty and the Internet Worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Shapira, Na’ama,Azy Barak, andIddo Gal. (2007) “Promoting Older Adults` Well-Being through Internet Training and Use”. Aging & Mental Health 11(5): 477–484.

Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS).The Use of Information-communication Technologies in the Republic of Serbia(in Serbian). Belgrade: Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.Accessed December 20, 2016. http://www.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/Public/PageView.aspx?pKey=431&URL=http://pod2.stat.gov.rs/ElektronskaBiblioteka2/Pretraga.aspx?pubType=8%26areaId=27.

Petrović, Dalibor. „Internet u funkciji personalnog umrežavanja“. Sociologija, Vol. LI(2009), str. 23–44.

Prensky,Mark „Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”, Part I.On the Horizon, Vol. 9(2001), pp. 1–6.

Van Dijk, Jan. The Network society, 3rd Edition. London: Sage Publications, 2012.

Van Deursen, Alexander and Ellen Helsper. “A Nuanced Understanding of Internet Use and Non-use among the Elderly”. European Journal of Communication, 30(2015), pp. 171–187.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH1702103S

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN 1820-8495 (Print)

ISSN 1820-8509 (Online)