Abstract
This article investigates the phenomenon of smartphone overuse among a group of Italian older users. Drawing on the analysis of 20 qualitative interviews and smartphone log data of the same group, the article explores the actual use of smartphone in older people everyday life against their perceptions about permanent connection and digital overuse. The article concludes that, notwithstanding a limited use of smartphones, overuse is an important cultural topic in their narrations about everyday use of such a device. Specifically, interviewees feel trapped within unwanted forms of sociality (especially related messaging apps) that they perceive artificial and shallow. This condition leads participants to use smartphones as less as possible and only to accomplish practical and instrumental tasks. This article aims at contributing to studies on media ideologies, which are still limited regarding older people’s smartphone ideologies.
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Notes
- 1.
Q Methodology is a research method created by William Stephenson (1902–1989) to study people’s viewpoint on specific subjects. Q methodology makes use of factor analysis to look for correlations between subjects across a sample of variables. In this way, it reveals and describes divergent views as well as consensus in a group [56].
- 2.
There are different ways of defining older people, according to the World Health Organization older people in developed World economies are usually defined as individual aged 65 years or more [59].
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Fondazione Cariplo (Bando 2017, ricerca scientifica: Ricerca sociale sull’invecchiamento: persone, luoghi e relazioni. Project name: “Aging in a networked society. Older people, social networks and well-being”) – No Grant Number.
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Appendix
Appendix
Participant | Gender | Age | Marital status | Education | Last occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | M | 71 | Married | High school degree | Director |
2 | M | 71 | Married | High school degree | Manager |
3 | M | 75 | Widow | High school degree | Technician |
4 | M | 72 | Married | High school degree | Clerical worker |
5 | M | 70 | Married | High school degree | Clerical worker |
6 | M | 70 | Married | Middle school degree | Director |
7 | M | 65 | Married | High school degree | Manager |
8 | M | 72 | Married | University degree | Director |
9 | M | 62 | Married | High school degree | Clerical worker |
10 | M | 75 | Married | High school degree | Manager |
11 | M | 74 | Married | High school degree | Clerical worker |
12 | F | 66 | Single | Middle school degree | Clerical worker |
13 | F | 71 | Married | HIGH school degree | Clerical worker |
14 | F | 70 | Married | Middle school degree | Plant operator |
15 | F | 70 | Married | Elementary school degree | Plant operator |
16 | M | 68 | Married | University degree | Manager |
17 | M | 76 | Widow | High school degree | Clerical worker |
18 | F | 70 | Married | Elementary school degree | Plant operator |
19 | M | 71 | Widow | University degree | Free Lance worker |
20 | M | 73 | Married | High school degree | Technician |
21 | M | 63 | Married | High school degree | Director |
22 | F | 68 | Married | Middle school degree | Plant operator |
23 | F | 72 | Widow | High school degree | Clerical worker |
24 | M | 61 | Married | University degree | Manager |
25 | M | 76 | Married | Middle school degree | Craft worker |
26 | M | 73 | Single | University school degree | Director |
27 | F | 69 | Married | High school degree | Sales worker |
28 | M | 74 | Married | High school degree | Clerical worker |
29 | F | 75 | Married | Elementary school degree | Clerical worker |
30 | F | 70 | Married | High school degree | Manager |
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Caliandro, A., Gui, M., Di Leva, A., Sturiale, V. (2021). Smartphone Overuse in the Old Age: A Qualitative Exploration on Actual Smartphone Use and Perceptions Among Italian Older Heavy Users. In: Gao, Q., Zhou, J. (eds) Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Technology Design and Acceptance. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12786. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78108-8_27
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