Social networking in the aging context: Why older adults use or avoid Facebook

• Published in: Telematics and informatics 2017-11, Vol.34 (7), p.1071-1080
• Main Authors: Jung, Eun Hwa, Walden, Justin, Johnson, Ariel Celeste, Sundar, S. Shyam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; In-depth interview; Information seeking behavior; Older adults; Older people; Social networking sites; Social networks; Uses and gratifications
• ISSN: 0736-5853; 1879-324X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.015

•We examine senior citizens’ perceptions of Facebook with the help of in-depth interviews.•Our interviews identify six motivations to use Facebook and six reasons to avoid using Facebook.•Facebook can be a promising venue for inter-generational communication.•Clear privacy control tools are needed to promote senior citizens’ Facebook use. Despite a growing body of research about older adults’ use of social networking sites (SNS), scholars have not fully explored how this technology is meeting this group’s interactional and information-seeking needs. How do these older adults view this technology? What are their communication needs and expectations and why are they drawn to it? To address these questions and fill a gap in the literature, this study draws upon in-depth interviews with 46 older adults (average age: 80.4years) about their perceptions of Facebook, which was the leading SNS at the time of writing. Analysis of interview data revealed six primary reasons for using Facebook (keeping in touch, sharing photos, social surveillance, responding to family member requests, convenient communication, curiosity) and six primary reasons for not using Facebook (privacy, need for media richness, preference for familiarity, triviality of communication, time commitment, frustration with site tools). Emergent findings hold implications for future research and SNS design.