How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors
IntroductionWith the continuing advancement of digitalization of everyday life, digital literacy becomes more and more a necessity. As a consequence, those who are digitally illiterate experience digital exclusion, which increasingly equals social exclusion. Older adults are typically less digitally...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1231701/full |
| _version_ | 1797449066095837184 |
|---|---|
| author | Anina Vercruyssen Werner Schirmer Nelly Geerts Dimitri Mortelmans |
| author_facet | Anina Vercruyssen Werner Schirmer Nelly Geerts Dimitri Mortelmans |
| author_sort | Anina Vercruyssen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWith the continuing advancement of digitalization of everyday life, digital literacy becomes more and more a necessity. As a consequence, those who are digitally illiterate experience digital exclusion, which increasingly equals social exclusion. Older adults are typically less digitally active and also less skilled in digital technologies than younger cohorts. Digital inclusion frameworks by governmental and supra-national organizations, on the one hand, and academic definitions of “digital literacy” or “digital skills”, on the other hand, tend to include a broad set of competencies next to technical understanding, such as cognitive and social-emotional skills. However, we argue the problem that expectations of what digital literacy commonly entails are too high level for older adults with no pre-existing digital experience with computers, internet, smartphones, or tablets. Even what is considered as entry-level, basic digital skills, or foundational skills, can be very demanding for older adults with limited or no prior knowledge of and practice with digital technologies.MethodsTo make our point, we draw on own data from interviews with 26 digital skills instructors who give training to older adults in Belgium (collected between December 2020 and February 2021).ResultsWe provide empirical evidence for the circumstances that even seemingly basic digital skills, such as getting a device started or downloading apps, can be very demanding and anything but trivial for older adults without prior experience. We demonstrate evidence along three interrelated domains: (1) ICT-jargon and terminology; (2) Hardware; (3) Software and Internet. Each of these domains entail hurdles of knowledge and understanding that need to be overcome for these older adults before we can start addressing the higher goals of digital literacy frameworks.DiscussionThe main implication from this article is that even the most basic tenets of digital technology are neither trivial nor simple to grasp for older adults with no or limited prior experience — a point not sufficiently addressed by current frameworks of digital skills/literacy/competence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:19:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31875304dc034012a709b33ead24fffe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:19:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-31875304dc034012a709b33ead24fffe2023-11-28T16:51:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2023-09-01810.3389/feduc.2023.12317011231701How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructorsAnina Vercruyssen0Werner Schirmer1Nelly Geerts2Dimitri Mortelmans3Center for Population, Family and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Sociology, TOR Research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, BelgiumDepartment of Sociology, TOR Research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, BelgiumCenter for Population, Family and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumIntroductionWith the continuing advancement of digitalization of everyday life, digital literacy becomes more and more a necessity. As a consequence, those who are digitally illiterate experience digital exclusion, which increasingly equals social exclusion. Older adults are typically less digitally active and also less skilled in digital technologies than younger cohorts. Digital inclusion frameworks by governmental and supra-national organizations, on the one hand, and academic definitions of “digital literacy” or “digital skills”, on the other hand, tend to include a broad set of competencies next to technical understanding, such as cognitive and social-emotional skills. However, we argue the problem that expectations of what digital literacy commonly entails are too high level for older adults with no pre-existing digital experience with computers, internet, smartphones, or tablets. Even what is considered as entry-level, basic digital skills, or foundational skills, can be very demanding for older adults with limited or no prior knowledge of and practice with digital technologies.MethodsTo make our point, we draw on own data from interviews with 26 digital skills instructors who give training to older adults in Belgium (collected between December 2020 and February 2021).ResultsWe provide empirical evidence for the circumstances that even seemingly basic digital skills, such as getting a device started or downloading apps, can be very demanding and anything but trivial for older adults without prior experience. We demonstrate evidence along three interrelated domains: (1) ICT-jargon and terminology; (2) Hardware; (3) Software and Internet. Each of these domains entail hurdles of knowledge and understanding that need to be overcome for these older adults before we can start addressing the higher goals of digital literacy frameworks.DiscussionThe main implication from this article is that even the most basic tenets of digital technology are neither trivial nor simple to grasp for older adults with no or limited prior experience — a point not sufficiently addressed by current frameworks of digital skills/literacy/competence.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1231701/fulldigital literacyolder adultsdigital skills instructorsdigital inclusion and exclusiondigital skills acquisition |
| spellingShingle | Anina Vercruyssen Werner Schirmer Nelly Geerts Dimitri Mortelmans How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors Frontiers in Education digital literacy older adults digital skills instructors digital inclusion and exclusion digital skills acquisition |
| title | How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors |
| title_full | How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors |
| title_fullStr | How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors |
| title_full_unstemmed | How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors |
| title_short | How “basic” is basic digital literacy for older adults? Insights from digital skills instructors |
| title_sort | how basic is basic digital literacy for older adults insights from digital skills instructors |
| topic | digital literacy older adults digital skills instructors digital inclusion and exclusion digital skills acquisition |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1231701/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aninavercruyssen howbasicisbasicdigitalliteracyforolderadultsinsightsfromdigitalskillsinstructors AT wernerschirmer howbasicisbasicdigitalliteracyforolderadultsinsightsfromdigitalskillsinstructors AT nellygeerts howbasicisbasicdigitalliteracyforolderadultsinsightsfromdigitalskillsinstructors AT dimitrimortelmans howbasicisbasicdigitalliteracyforolderadultsinsightsfromdigitalskillsinstructors |