Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Older Adults and Communication Technologies During the Lockdown in Romania

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Design, Interaction and Technology Acceptance (HCII 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13330))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Current available data suggest that already vulnerable populations are being disproportionately affected by the COVID 19 epidemic. The same is valid for older adults, who have been labeled at the beginning of the pandemic as a high-risk population and advised to be precautious in meeting others and take part in large gatherings. In the current study, we use data from 12 semi-structured interviews conducted between 15th and 30th of May 2020, in Romania, with old adults aged 65 and above, from urban and rural areas. The interviews approached topics such as use of technology during the pandemic, ways of obtaining information about the COVID-19 pandemic and overall challenges experienced during the pandemic. The findings reveal that digital technologies have been used more during the pandemic than before, especially in the urban areas. Family communication via digital technologies revolved around pandemic related topics, everyday life, and safety measures. Contrary to popular believes, Romanian seniors consumed information about the COVID-19 pandemic with caution, triangulating sources of information from several TV channels and social media. Lastly, seniors’ greatest challenge was the lack of physical contact with family members and physical movement, particularly related to their daily routines. They have used social media to cope with the loneliness of being apart from their children and grandchildren, and some even reconnected with older friends or distant family members.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Heid, A.R., Cartwright, F., Wilson-Genderson, M., Pruchno, R.: Challenges experienced by older people during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gerontologist 61(1), 48–58 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Moore, R.C., Hancock, J.T: Older adults, social technologies, and the coronavirus pandemic: challenges, strengths, and strategies for support. Soc. Media+Society 6(3) (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Stuart, A., Katz, D., Stevenson, C., Gooch, D., Harkin, L., Bennasar, M., Nuseibeh, B: Loneliness in older people and COVID-19: Applying the social identity approach to digital intervention design (2021, in press)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Wu, B.: Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19: a global challenge. Global Health Res. Policy 5(1), 1–3 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Chu, L., Fung, H.H., Tse, D.C., Tsang, V.H., Zhang, H., Mai, C: Obtaining information from different sources matters during the COVID-19 pan-demic. Gerontologist 61(2), 187–195 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hänninen, R., Pajula, L., Korpela, V., Taipale, S: Individual and shared digital repertoires–older adults managing digital ser-vices. Inf. Commun. Soc., 1–16 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Beaunoyer, E., Dupéré, S., Guitton, M.J.: COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies. Computers in human behavior, 111 (202)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Voinea, C., Wangmo, T., Vică, C.: Respecting Older Adults: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. J. Bioethical Inquiry, 1–11 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Seifert, A.: The digital exclusion of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Gerontol. Soc. Work 63(6–7), 674–676 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Smith, M.L., Steinman, L.E., Casey, E.A.: Combatting social isolation among older adults in a time of physical distancing: the COVID-19 social connectivity paradox. Front. Public Health 8(403) (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Prensky, M.: Digital natives, digital immigrants. Part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon 9(5),1–6 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Eurostat. Digital economy and society statistics - households and individuals. ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Digital_economy_and_society_statistics. Accessed 2 Sept 2022

    Google Scholar 

  13. Pew Research Center. Digital Divide. www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/07/. Accessed 2 Sept 2022

  14. Barrantes, R., Matos, P.: Who benefits from open models? In Making Open Development Inclusive, International Development Research Center, MIT Press, The role of ICT access (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Ivan, L., Cutler, S.J.: Older adults and the digital divide in Romania: implications for the Covid-19 pandemic. J. Elder Policy 1(3), 131–154 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hargittai, E: Second-level digital divide: Differences in people's online skills. First Monday 7(4) (2002). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v7i4.942. Accessed 2 Sept 2022

  17. Van Deursen, A.V., Van Dijk, J.A.: The digital divide shifts to differences in usage. New Media Soc. 16(3), 507–526 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Van Dijk, J.A.: The Digital Divide. Polity Press, Cambridge (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ducu, V.: Displaying grand parenting within Romanian transnational families. Global Netw. 20(2), 380–395 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ivan, L., Fernández-Ardèvol, M.: Older people and the use of ICTs to communicate with children and grandchildren. Trans. Soc. Rev. 7(1), 41–55 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Cacioppo, J.T., Hawkley, L.C.: Perceived social isolation and cognition. Trends Cogn. Sci. 13(10), 447–454 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Luo, Y., Hawkley, L.C., Waite, L.J., Cacioppo, J.T.: Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: a national longitudinal study. Soc. Sci. Med. 74(6), 907–914 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Brooke, J., Jackson, D.: Older people and COVID-19 isolation, risk and ageism. J. Clin. Nursing 29, 2044–2046 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Marston, H.R., et al.: COVID-19: technology, social connections, loneliness, and leisure activities: an international study protocol. Front. Sociol. 89, 1–15 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Chen, K.: Use of gerontechnology to assist older adults to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Am. Med. Dir. Assoc. 21(7), 983–984 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Ehni, H.J., Wahl, H.W.: Six propositions against ageism in the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Aging Soc. Policy 32(4–5), 515–525 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Nimrod, G.: Technostress in a hostile world: older internet users before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aging Mental Health 18, 1–8 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Chen, A.T., et al.: Reactions to COVID-19, information and technology use, and social connectedness among older adults with pre-frailty and frailty. Geriatr. Nurs. 42(1), 188–195 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Nimrod, G.: Changes in internet use when coping with stress: older adults during the COVID-pandemic. Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 28(10), 1020–1024 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Padala, K.P., Wilson, K.B., Gauss, C.H., Stovall, J.D., Padala, P.R.: VA video connect or clinical care in older adults in a rural state during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional study. J. Med. Internet Res. 22(9), e21561 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  31. WHO. (2020). Advice for the public on COVID-19 – World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2020/advice-for-public

  32. Gunel, G., Saiba, V., Watanabe, C.: A Manifestor for Patchwork Ethnography. Society for Cultural Anthropology. https://culanth.org/fieldsights/a-manifesto-for-patchwork-ethnography. Accessed 2 Sept 2022

  33. Feldman, L, Mandache, L.A.: Emotional overlap and the analytic potential of emotions in anthropology. Ethnography 227–244, 1–18 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Ivan, L., Schiau, I.: Older audiences and digital media: focus on Romania. Manage. Dyn. Knowl. Econ. 6(3), 423–447 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Ştefăniță, O., Ivan, L.: Characteristics of the digital divide in Romania and differences in internet use in comparison with internet use in Europe. J. Media Res. 11(2), 5–21 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work of the second author is supported by a Horizon 2020 European grant COFUND-ENUTC, project City & Co, Code: COFUN-ENUTC-City&Co.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Luminiţa-Anda Mandache

  2. Communication Department, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 012244, Bucharest, Romania

    Loredana Ivan

Authors
  1. Luminiţa-Anda Mandache
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Loredana Ivan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luminiţa-Anda Mandache .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Qin Gao

  2. Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Jia Zhou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Mandache, LA., Ivan, L. (2022). Older Adults and Communication Technologies During the Lockdown in Romania. In: Gao, Q., Zhou, J. (eds) Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Design, Interaction and Technology Acceptance. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13330. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05581-2_27

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05581-2_27

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-05580-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-05581-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation