Yoon, Hyunsun, Lee, Guiohk, Nguyen, Thi Hong Hai ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1826-4904 and Šegota, Tina (2024) Exploring smartphone-related digital divide among South Korean older adults. Review of Contemporary Business, Entrepreneurship and Economic Issues, 37 (1). pp. 29-43. ISSN 0353-359X (Print), 1847-2206 (Online) (doi:10.51680/ev.37.1.3)

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Abstract

Purpose: One of the crucial steps towards fully grasping the benefits of smartphone use for all is to explore the existence of a digital divide and its relationship to different outcomes from smartphone use. In so doing, this study explored the smartphone-related digital divide among South Korean older adults in terms of access, use and outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach: In-person interviews using questionnaires were conducted to collect the data from a total number of 372 older adults aged 60 or over in eleven community centers in the Seoul Metropolitan area in Korea, of which 223 participants owned a smartphone.
Results: This study found that most participants use smartphones to communicate with personal relationships and support system. There were, however, differences among groups across gender, age, and ICT training in terms of the extent of smartphone usage and participation in virtual communities. Across three age groups of 60+, 70+ and 80+, younger cohort and those with ICT training had higher smartphone literacy, harnessing the potential of smartphones. Those who used smartphones to stay connected to their social group and for entertainment showed lower level of loneliness.
Originality: A unique aspect of the current study is that it examines the differences in smartphone use, skills, and outcomes across three age groups: 60+, 70+ and 80+, and sheds light on similarities and differences within this cohort rather than in comparison to younger cohorts. In digital divide literature, 80+ is a rarely researched demographic.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	older adults; digital divide; smartphone; loneliness; South Korea
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business Greenwich Business School > Tourism and Marketing Research Centre (TMRC)
Last Modified:	02 Dec 2024 16:12
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/47042

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