Societal aspects and individual preconditions of technological development
H. Mollenkopf
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AbstractThe meaning that technology’s progressive infiltration of the environment has for older adults hardly needs to be emphasized. With the increasing prevalence of health impairments, waning physical power and increasing sensory loss on the one hand, and the loss of close friends and relatives caused by old age on the other, the importance of adequate technological appliances and systems is particularly rising. Until now, however, older persons' access to modern technologies depends strongly on socio-structural conditions like income and education. Among cultural requirements, societal stereotypes and aspects of design and stigmatisation influence the acceptance and use of technical devices and systems. And whether older persons benefit from the options technology offers for maintaining independence and social participation in old age depends largely on their earlier experience with technology and individual aspects of acceptance or rejection. In this article, the socio-structural, cultural, and individual prerequisites for the productive use of technical devices and systems are regarded from a long-term perspective. Furthermore, the ambivalent societal consequences related to technology implementation are discussed.Keywords: Technology use, acceptance, older persons, stigmatization
H. Mollenkopf (2016). Societal aspects and individual preconditions of technological development. Gerontechnology, 15(4), 216-226
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2016.15.4.011.00