Aging in Digital Culture: How Older Smartphone Users Experience Aging
Alexander Seifert University of Zurich
Rebekka Rohner University of Vienna
Vera Gallistl University of Vienna
Anna Wanka Goethe University Frankfurt/Main
Benjamin Herr University of Vienna
Hannah Quinz University of Vienna
Institut für Soziologie
With the spread of mobile devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, and fitness trackers,
technology is increasingly permeating our daily lives. They have also become “affective
technologies” that influence our everyday emotions and perceptions and our experiences
of aging. This paper investigates the association between mobile device use and the
subjective experience of aging (SEA), with the hypothesis that the more frequently older
adults use smartphones, the more positively they experience aging. A multiple hierarchical
linear regression model was calculated based on a secondary analysis of Swiss survey
data for older (≥ 65 years, N = 1037) adults. According to the survey data, 32.1% of
participants used a smartphone. Univariate and multivariate analyses, controlled for a
number of relevant confounders and the use of different devices, confirmed the positive
relationship between frequency of smartphone use and SEA. The results suggest that mobile
devices should be included as an independent variable when investigating subjective
experiences of aging.
English
2020-10-14
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