Internet Based Activities (IBAs): Seniors' Experiences of the Conditions Required for the Performance of and the Influence of these Conditions on their Own Participation in Society

Abstract

The digital gap is a threat to the participation of senior citizens in society, as a large proportion of seniors are not involved in Internet based activities (IBAs). To be able to overcome this disadvantage for seniors, there is a need to both learn more about the conditions that make seniors start performing IBAs and to be able to provide them with the most beneficial professional interventions. The aim of this study was to explore and describe seniors' experiences with IBAs. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 seniors (aged: 66–82 years) with a variety of experiences with IBAs, and the interviews were analyzed with the constant comparative method. The results reveal three categories that describe the experiences of the established performers, the new performers of IBAs in the process of starting out, and the nonperformers. The variations in performance were influenced by the meaning that the performance of IBAs had for the seniors. In addition, the seniors were affected by several other conditions—such as the support available in their environment, including access to knowledge—as this could encourage them to develop their performance. Basic aspects, such as having access to a computer and to the Internet had been arranged for the performers of IBAs. The different ways of performing IBAs, revealed in the three categories, influenced how the seniors viewed their opportunities to participate in society. The conclusion highlights the finding that professionals should consider a multitude of conditions when introducing seniors to the performance of meaningful IBAs.

Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the seniors that generously shared their experiences for the purpose of this study. This work was accomplished within the context of the Gerda Botnia project, and it was supported by the European Union; the Atlantica Botnia Programme; and the Swedish Research Council's Linnaeus Grant, no. 2006-21576-36119-66.