1st Edition
Generational Use of New Media
Generational Use of New Media examines and contrasts how younger and older people, representing different generations, engage with the new media that they increasingly encounter in everyday life. Exploring the various assumptions about the degrees to which younger and older people are more or less willing to use, or are capable of using, new media, the social circumstances under which they do so and the very design of those media, this book critically examines the gap that is assumed to exist between younger users of new media and older non-users. Thematically organised and offering comparative analyses of the generational use of new media and technology, this timely volume presents the latest research and rich new empirical material gathered in the EU, USA and Hong Kong, to reflect on societal practices and the practical implications of building a more inclusive information society.
Biography
Eugène Loos is Professor of Old and New Media in an Ageing Society in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and co-editor of 'The Social Dynamics of Information and Communication Technology' Leslie Haddon is Researcher and Associate Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, UK, and co-editor of 'The Social Dynamics of Information and Communication Technology'. Enid Mante-Meijer was Professor Emerita at Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and co-editor of 'The Social Dynamics of Information and Communication Technology'.
'The chapter authors provide a nuanced perspective that goes well beyond the media-driven headlines and well-worn social policy tropes. By probing beneath conventional categories such as digital divides, digital natives/immigrants and generation gaps, they are able to provide one of the most sophisticated analyses to date of the relationship between age, cohort and media use. Anyone concerned about generational issues of media use will profit from reading this volume.' James E Katz, The State University of New Jersey, USA 'This incisive and wide-ranging collection offers nuanced and subtle insights into the complexities of people's uses of digital technologies, recognising that individual differences increase with age. From teenagers' experiences of parental surveillance through to the "oldest old" (85+ years), these rigorous case studies critically illuminate our relationships with digital technologies and provide ample food for thought and further research.' Lelia Green, Edith Cowan University, Australia and author The Internet: An introduction to new media 'Generational use of new media is an inspiring and worthwhile collection of research on the different ways in which various generations use new media, the problems they encounter and possible solutions to them... the research represented in the collection offers some surprising findings, particularly regarding the media competence of younger users...' Information, Communication & Society 'Carefully organized, this book is a stimulating contribution to further research and to informed policies aimed at assuring digital inclusion from pre-adolescents to the oldest olds. By refusing to consider younger and older generations as homogenous entities, the book demonstrates the need to take into account the distinct subpopulations, namely within the broader group of senior citizens.' European Journal of Communication '... a rich, critical analysis of key issues... This text provides a rich, critical analysis
