Abstract
In 2018, I interviewed seven people from the ‘silent generation’ to find out what they thought about information technology, whether they were averse to it, and why. Using this snap-shot image from Hornchurch Tapestry day care centre, this paper analyses the human activity system that frames how the elderly interact with the technology that surrounds them. It details what these interactions consist of, investigates how the participants view the purpose of the technology and explores how they ‘feel’ about their interactions with it. Ultimately, this paper challenges a societal assumption that elderly people are averse to information technology. The elderly use different technologies for different purposes and in different contexts. The Tapestry interviews highlight how critical family pressure was in determining how the elderly feel about information technology and their decisions to interact with it.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Exploring Digital Ecosystems |
| Editors | A. Lazazzara, F. Ricciardi, S. Za |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 25-32 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-030-23665-6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-030-23664-9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jul 2019 |
| Event | XV Conference of the Italian Chapter of AIS: Living in the digital ecosystem: technologies, organizations and human agency - Pavia, Pavia, Italy Duration: 12 Oct 2018 → 13 Oct 2018 Conference number: 15 http://www.itais.org/conference/2018/ |
Publication series
| Name | Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Springer |
| Volume | 33 |
| ISSN (Print) | 2195-4968 |
Conference
| Conference | XV Conference of the Italian Chapter of AIS |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | ItAIS 2018 |
| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Pavia |
| Period | 12/10/18 → 13/10/18 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- socio-technical
- systems
- elderly
- averse
- information technology
- information systems