Older People and New Technologies

This chapter examines the social distribution of diffusion, concentrating on differences in information and communication technologies (ICTs) use that are dependent on age. Although adoption of new technologies declines with age, and 'technophobic' attitudes increase, there is considerable variation within age groups. People should not dismiss the older population as being technologically illiterate. In fact, the key distinction determining use or non-use is not age itself but resources. Older people tend to be poorer. In addition to the effects of age itself, their relative lack of resources determines their use of the new information technologies.