If you weren’t connected tothe Internet, you were not alive”: experience ofusing social technology during COVID-19 inadults 50+

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14330%2F23%3A00131866" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14330/23:00131866 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177683" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177683</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177683" target="_blank" >10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177683</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

If you weren’t connected tothe Internet, you were not alive”: experience ofusing social technology during COVID-19 inadults 50+

Original language description

Introduction: Loneliness and social isolation reduce physical and mental wellbeing. Older adults are particularly prone to social isolation due to decreased connection with previous social networks such as at workplaces. Social technology can decrease loneliness and improve wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted quarantine and social distancing for many people, creating a context of widespread social isolation. Method: In the current study, we interviewed middle-aged and older adults' (n = 20) about their use of social technology when social isolation was common: during the early part of the pandemic while social isolation and masking were still required in the United States, between August 2020 and June 2021. We analyzed the data using three-phase coding. We compare our results against the model of the bidirectional and dynamic relationship between social internet use and loneliness. Results: We found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, our participants experienced decreased social interaction and moved toward online interaction. Participant use of social technology supported the stimulation hypothesis - that is, they used it to maintain existing relationships and social connection. The findings also add novel evidence that the stimulation hypothesis endures for older adults during enforced isolation (in this case due to the COVID- 19 pandemic). Discussion: Based on our data, we also propose adding the presence or realism of connection via social technology as a main factor to the model and engaging with construal level theory of social presence to fill in critical variables of this relationship. We further find that digital exclusion acts as a barrier to obtaining benefits from stimulation via social technology and recommend that further research examined digital exclusion in relation to the bidirectional and dynamic model. Finally, we discuss recommendations for improving social technology to benefit middle-aged and older adults.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10201 - Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8)

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Frontiers in Public Health

ISSN

2296-2565

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

11

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1177683

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

1-14

UT code for WoS article

001087512700001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85174812304