Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies

A current empirical study explores how Austrian women aged 60 to 70 use and ascribe meaning to ICTs such as television, radio, mobile phone, computer or the Internet. In the study, life-graphs, semi-structured interviews, and indoor walking interviews are used to examine the everyday usage and inter...

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Main Author: Ratzenböck Barbara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2020-07-01
Series:Nordicom Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0023
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author Ratzenböck Barbara
author_facet Ratzenböck Barbara
author_sort Ratzenböck Barbara
collection DOAJ
description A current empirical study explores how Austrian women aged 60 to 70 use and ascribe meaning to ICTs such as television, radio, mobile phone, computer or the Internet. In the study, life-graphs, semi-structured interviews, and indoor walking interviews are used to examine the everyday usage and interpretation of ICTs by older women, coming from various social backgrounds and living in the Austrian region of Styria. Analysing empirical material of the study, this paper focuses on the interrelation of generation-specific media practices and individual (media) biographies as they both influence older women's usage of and attitude towards ICTs. By using Maierhofer's concept of “anocriticism” as a frame for the analysis of the material in addition to Mannheim's idea of “generation location”, it becomes possible to elaborate on a more nuanced understanding of the relation between collective experiences within time and individual life-course perspectives in the context of ICTs.
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spelling doaj.art-97324b7f02924289854a380f790277cc2023-08-02T07:24:06ZengSciendoNordicom Review2001-51192020-07-0137s1577010.1515/nor-2016-0023Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media BiographiesRatzenböck BarbaraA current empirical study explores how Austrian women aged 60 to 70 use and ascribe meaning to ICTs such as television, radio, mobile phone, computer or the Internet. In the study, life-graphs, semi-structured interviews, and indoor walking interviews are used to examine the everyday usage and interpretation of ICTs by older women, coming from various social backgrounds and living in the Austrian region of Styria. Analysing empirical material of the study, this paper focuses on the interrelation of generation-specific media practices and individual (media) biographies as they both influence older women's usage of and attitude towards ICTs. By using Maierhofer's concept of “anocriticism” as a frame for the analysis of the material in addition to Mannheim's idea of “generation location”, it becomes possible to elaborate on a more nuanced understanding of the relation between collective experiences within time and individual life-course perspectives in the context of ICTs.https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0023older female ict usersageinggeneration-specific media practicesmedia biographiesanocriticism
spellingShingle Ratzenböck Barbara
Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
Nordicom Review
older female ict users
ageing
generation-specific media practices
media biographies
anocriticism
title Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
title_full Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
title_fullStr Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
title_full_unstemmed Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
title_short Examining the Experiences of Older Women with ICTs: Interrelations of Generation-Specific Media Practices and Individual Media Biographies
title_sort examining the experiences of older women with icts interrelations of generation specific media practices and individual media biographies
topic older female ict users
ageing
generation-specific media practices
media biographies
anocriticism
url https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0023
work_keys_str_mv AT ratzenbockbarbara examiningtheexperiencesofolderwomenwithictsinterrelationsofgenerationspecificmediapracticesandindividualmediabiographies