Staying connected: Exploring mobile phone use amongst older adults in the UK

Hardill, Irene and Olphert, Wendy (2012) Staying connected: Exploring mobile phone use amongst older adults in the UK. Geoforum, 43 (6). pp. 1306-1312. ISSN 0016-7185

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Abstract

In this paper we examine the ways in which mobile phones are becoming integrated into the everyday life of older adults in the UK by drawing on research funded as part of the British New Dynamics of Ageing programme. Specifically we draw on a digital engagement survey and the life history narratives of older men and women resident in the East Midlands of England to illuminate the challenges of remaining digitally engaged in old age focusing specifically on mobile phone use, with particular reference to maintaining social connections with spatially dispersed family and friends. Growing numbers of older adults possess a mobile phone, but the degree to which mobile phone use has been integrated into everyday practices is variable. For episodic users a mobile phone is used to complement a landline, to keep in touch with family and friends when out of the house. For confident users the mobile phone is used in multiple ways, via a range of applications, it is an integral part of numerous aspects of everyday life.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	demography and ageing, gender and mobile phone use, digital technologies, UK, participatory methods
Subjects:	L300 Sociology L400 Social Policy
Department:	Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Ellen Cole
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2012 15:33
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 19:31
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/10804

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