Technologies and the representations of activity spaces of older adults

ABSTRACT

Technology, in its various forms, mediates encounters between individuals and the lived time–space. Mobile phones, internet, navigation systems, and advanced transport technologies dramatically change the ways in which space and time are conceptualized, represented, and embedded into societal practices. This paper explores the routine spatiotemporal practices of older adults, who lie outside mainstream technology use. Attention is paid to the role of digital technologies in negotiating and representing the everyday activity spaces. We attempt to capture the logic of everyday tactics, which is based not only on rational reasoning and habitual spatial thinking but also on a more subtle mix of experiences, possibilities, and fears associated with the use of various technological devices and systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Older adults
• technology
• activity space
• representation
• everyday

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Ondřej Mulíček http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6887-0764

Zdeněk Stachoň http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1807-1459

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Grantová Agentura České Republiky [grant number 17-02827S].