Old But Not Out: Social Media Use and Older Adults' Life Satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v26i0.3269Keywords:
life satisfaction, social media, subjective well-being, older adultsAbstract
Social media has the potential to have a positive influence on older adults' quality of life. This study explores how older adults use social media and the implications of the use on their life satisfaction. A sequential mixed-method approach is used. First, focus group interviews were conducted with older adults in Thailand, and a two-step sorting procedure is employed to develop comprehensive measures of social media use activity and their life domain affiliation. Next, a field survey is used to evaluate the influence of satisfaction from social media use on domain life satisfaction and overall life satisfaction. The findings suggest that older adults integrate social media into activities in several life domains, including family, friend, community, health, consumer, education, self, leisure, and social. Satisfaction from social media use activities positively associates with domain life satisfaction in all those life domains. The comprehensive measures of social media activities enable us to extensively theorize social media use and illustrate that it has a different meaning for older adults compared with young adults.
References
Andrews, F.M., and Withey, S.B. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: American's perceptions of life quality. Plenum Press, New York, NY.
boyd, d. (2014), It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
Campbell, A., Converse, P.E., and Rodgers, W.L. (1976). The quality of American life: Perceptions, evaluations, and satisfactions. Russel Sage Foundation, New York, NY.
Celik, S. S., Celik, Y., Hikmet, N., and Khan, M. M. (2018). Factors affecting life satisfaction of older adults in Turkey. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 87(4), 392-414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415017740677
Cenfetelli, R.T., and Bassellier, G. (2009). Interpretation of formative measurement in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 33(4), 689-707. https://doi.org/10.2307/
Chang, J.C., and King, W.R. (2005). Measuring the performance of information systems: A functional scorecard. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(1), 85-115. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40398759
Charness, N., and Boot, W.R. (2009). Aging and information technology use. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(5), 253-258. https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1467-8721.2009.
x
Chen, K., and Chan, A. (2011). A review of technology acceptance by older adults. Gerontechnology, 10(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4017/GT.2011.10.01.006.00
Choi, H., Lee, M., Im, K.S., and Kim, J. (2007). Contribution to quality of life: A new outcome variable for mobile data service. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 8(12), 598-618. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00146
Choi, J.H., Kim, S., Moon, J.Y., Kang, J., Lee, I., and Kim, J. (2014). Seek or provide: Comparative effects of online information sharing on seniors' quality of life. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34, 513-530. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.03427
Chou, W.S., Hunt, Y.M., Beckjord, E.B., Moser, R.P., and Hesse, B.W. (2009). Social media use in the United States: Implications for health communication. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 11(4), e48. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196%2Fjmir.1249
Cogburn, D.L., and Espinoza-Vasquez, F.K. (2011). From networked nominee to networked nation: Examining the impact of Web 2.0 and social media on political participation and civic engagement in the 2008 Obama campaign. Journal of Political Marketing, 10(102), 189-213. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377857.2011.540224
Croll, E.J. (2006). The intergenerational contract in the changing Asian family. Oxford Development Studies, 34(4), 473-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600810601045833
Diamantopoulos, A. (2011). Incorporating formative measures into covariance-based structural equation models. MIS Quarterly, 35(2), 335-358. https://doi.org/10.2307/
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542-575. https://ssrn.com/
abstract=2162125
Diener, E., and Diener, M. (1995). Cross-cultural correlates of life satisfaction and self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(4), 653-663. https://psycnet.apa.org/
doi/10.1037/0022-3514.68.4.653
Diener, E., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R.J., and Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/
s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E., Inglehart, R., and Tay, L. (2013). Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales. Social Indicators Research, 112(3), 497-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0076-y
Diener, E., Suh, E.M., Lucas, R.E., and Smith, H.L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/
-2909.125.2.276
Dolan, P., Peasgood, T., and White, M. (2008). Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(1), 94-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JOEP.2007.09.001
Easterlin, R.A. (2006). Life cycle happiness and its sources: Intersections of psychology, economics, and demography. Journal of Economic Psychology, 27(4), 463-482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2006.05.002
ETDA (2020) Thailand Internet user behavior 2020. Available: https://www.etda.or.th/getattachment/c5835c06-e238-4cda-9816814df31caca5/IUB_2020
_Web.pdf.aspx (Accessed June 10 2021).
Gaia, A., Sala, E., and Cerati, C. (2021) Social networking sites use and life satisfaction: A quantitative study on older people living in Europe. European Societies, 23(1), 98-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2020.1762910.
Gatto, S.L., and Tak, S.H. (2008). Computer, Internet, and e-mail use among older adults: Benefits and barriers. Educational Gerontology, 34(9), 800-811. https://doi.org/10.1080/
Gerow, J.E., Thatcher, J.S., and Grover, V. (2015). Six types of IT-business strategic alignment: An investigation of the constructs and their measurement. European Journal of Information Systems, 24(5), 465-491. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2014.6
Glaser, B.G., and Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago, IL.
Hage, E., Wortmann, H., van Offenbeek, M., and Boonstra, A. (2016). The dual impact of online communication on older adults' social connectivity. Information Technology & People, 29(1), 31-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2014-0216
Hair, J.F., Hult, G.T.M., Ringle, C., and Sarstedt, M. (2013). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Headey, B., Veenhoven, R., and Wearing, A. (1991). Top-down versus bottom-up theories of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 24(1), 81-100. https://doi.org/10.1007/
BF00292652
Hill, R., Beynon-Davies, P., and Williams, M.D. (2008). Older people and Internet engagement: Acknowledging social moderators of Internet adoption, access and use. Information Technology & People, 21(3), 244-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/09593840810896019
Hur, M.H. (2016). Empowering the elderly population through ICT-based activities. Information Technology & People, 29(2), 318-333. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2015-0052
Jung, Y. (2014). What a smartphone is to me: Understanding user values in using smartphones. Information Systems Journal, 24(4), 299-321. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12031
Kahneman, D., and Krueger, A.B. (2006). Developments in the measurement of subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(1), 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1257/
Kapoor, K.K., Tamilmani, K., Rana, N.P., Patil, P., Dwivedi, Y.K., and Nerur, S. (2018). Advances in social media research: Past, present and future. Information Systems Frontier, 20(3), 531-558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-017-9810-y
Khoo, S.S., and Yang, H. (2020). Social media use improves executive functions in middle-aged and older adults: A structural equation modeling analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 111, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106388
Kim, C., and Shen, C. (2020). Connecting activities on Social Network Sites and life satisfaction: A comparison of older and younger users. Computers in Human Behavior, 105, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106222
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D.S., Lin, N., Shablack, H., Jonides, J., and Ybarra, O. (2013). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults. PloS ONE, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841
Lam, J.C.Y., and Lee, M.K.O. (2006). Digital inclusiveness--Longitudinal study of Internet adoption by older adults. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(4), 177-206.
Leist, A. K. (2013). Social media use of older adults: A mini-review. Gerontology, 59, 378-384. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40398817
Lelkes, O. (2013). Happier and less isolated: Internet use in old age. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 21(1), 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1332/175982713X664047
Limayem, M., Gabriele Hirt, S., and Cheung, C.M.K. (2007). How habit limits the predictive power of intention: The case of information systems continuance. MIS Quarterly, 31(4), 705-737. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148817
Lindell, M.K., and Whitney, D.J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 114-121. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114
Mitzner, T.L., Boron, J.B., Fausset, C.B., Adams, A.E., Charness, N., Czaja, S.J., Dijkstra, K., Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A., and Sharit, J. (2010). Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1710-1721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.020
Moore, G.C., and Benbasat, I. (1991). Development of an instrument to measure the perceptions of adopting an information technology innovation. Information Systems Research, 2(3), 192-222. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2.3.192
Niehaves, B., and Plattfaut, R. (2014). Internet adoption by the elderly: Employing IS technology acceptance theories for understanding the age-related digital divide. European Journal of Information Systems, 23(6), 708-726. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2013.19
Oh, H.J., Ozkaya, E., and LaRose, R. (2014). How does online social networking enhance life satisfaction? The relationships among online supportive interaction, affect, perceived social support, sense of community, and life satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 30(1), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.07.053
Oishi, S., Diener, E., Lucas, R.E., and Suh, E.M. (1999). Cross-cultural variations in predictors of life satisfaction: Perspectives from needs and values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(8), 980-990. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672992511006
Park, N., Kee, K.F., and Valenzuela, S. (2009). Being immersed in social networking environment: Facebook groups, uses and gratifications and social outcomes. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 12(6), 729-734. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2009.0003
Petter, S., Straub, D., and Rai, A. (2007). Specifying formative constructs in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 31(4), 623-656. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148814
Pew Research Center (2021). Social media fact sheets, available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/, accessed 10 June 2021.
Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Lee, J., and Podsakoff, N.P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Rasmussen, E.E., Punyanunt-Carter, N., LaFreniere, J.R., Norman, M.S., and Kimball, T.G. (2020). The serially mediated relationship between emerging adults' social media use and mental well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 206-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.08.019
Scheepers, R., and Middleton, C. (2013). Personal ICT ensembles and ubiquitous information systems environments: Key issues and research implications. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 33, 381-392. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.03322
Selwyn, N. (2004). The information aged: A qualitative study of older adults' use of information and communications technology. Journal of Aging Studies, 18(4), 369-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2004.06.008
Techatassanasoontorn, A.A., and Tanvisuth, A. (2010). IS Use and quality of Life: A conceptualization and empirical investigation. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 2(2), 26-54. https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00013
Thailand PRD (2020). Thailand is preparing for becoming a super-aged society. Available: https://thailand.prd.go.th/mobile_detail.php?cid=4&nid=10055 (Accessed June 10 2021).
Thomas, D.M., and Watson, R.T. (2002). Q-sorting and MIS research: A primer. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 8,Article 9. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.00809
Trentham, B., Sokoloff, S., Tsang, A., & Neysmith, S. (2015). Social media and senior citizen advocacy: An inclusive tool to resist ageism? Politics, Groups, and Identities, 3(3), 558-571. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2015.1050411
Trepte, S., and Reinecke, L. (2013). The reciprocal effects of social network site use and the disposition for self-disclosure: A longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 1102-1112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.10.002
Turel, O., and Serenko, A. (2012). The benefits and dangers of enjoyment with social networking websites. European Journal of Information Systems, 21(5), 512-528. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2012.1
Urquhart, C., Lehmann, H., and Myers, M.D. (2010). Putting the 'theory' back into grounded theory: Guidelines for grounded theory studies in information systems. Information Systems Journal, 20(4), 357-381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2009.00328.x
United Nations (2015) World Population Ageing: 2015, available at: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2015_Highlights.pdf, accessed 10 June 2021.
United Nations (2017) World Population Ageing 2017, available at: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2017_Highlights.pdf, accessed 10 June 2021.
Valenzuela, S., Park, N., and Kee, K.F. (2009). Is there social capital in a social network site?: A Facebook use and college students' life satisfaction, trust, and participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 875-901. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.x
van Praag, B.M.S., Frijters, P., and Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. (2003). The anatomy of subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 51(1), 29-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2681(02)00140-3
Venkatesh, V., Brown, S.A., and Bala, H. (2013). Bridging the qualitative-quantitative divide: Guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in information systems. MIS Quarterly, 37(1), 21-54. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37.1.02
Verdegem, P. (2011). Social media for digital and social inclusion: Challenges for information society 2.0 research & policies. tripleC, 9(1), 28-38. https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.
v9i1.225
Wang, J., Jackson, L.A., Gaskin, J., and Wang, H. (2014). The effects of social networking site (SNS) use on college students' friendship and well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 37, 229-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.051
WHO (2018) Ageing and health, available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health, accessed 3 June 2021.
Xu, C., Ryan, S., Prybutok, V., and Wen, C. (2012). It is not for fun: An examination of social networking site usage. Faculty Research & Creative Activity, 7, https://thekeep.eiu.edu/
business_fac/7.
Xu, X., Zhao, Y. C., and Zhu, Q. (2020). The effect of social media use on older adults’ loneliness: The moderating role of self-disclosure. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 131-145). Springer.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
AJIS publishes open-access articles distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Non-Commercial and Attribution License which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and AJIS are credited. All other rights including granting permissions beyond those in the above license remain the property of the author(s).
