Wednesday, May 27, 2015
UKSG Webinar UKSG Webinar Getting the rights right – or when policies collide
For my blog on the recent UKSG Webinar "Getting the rights right – or when policies collide" visit Staffordshire University's ASK Blog https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/askteam/2015/05/27/uksg-webinar-getting-the-rights-right-or-when-policies-collide/. The webinar took placeon 19th May and the presenter was by Bill Hubbard and focused on Open Access polices. The slides can be found at http://www.uksg.org/webinars/oapolicies
Monday, May 18, 2015
My hair is silver and I surf but don't call me a silver surfer
I thought I would write a post on technology and older people. The driver for this was a small row between my mum and dad after Christmas this year. For Christmas me an my siblings bought a tablet for my mum and dad, they were already a one laptop couple but it was mainly used by my dad as it was his retirement present. We wanted to encourage my mum to use the internet more, in particular Facebook, as she has family and friends far and wide in this country and beyond, and Facebook has become the communication tool of choice. However, things did not quite turn out as we planned. Both of my parents are big readers but unfortunately or fortunately the kindle app was loaded onto the tablet and my dad found out how to use it first, creating a bespoke library dad appropriated the tablet much to the annoyance of my mother. The outcome of their run-in was that my dad was forced to by his own tablet and my mum took possession of the Christmas present go mum! - At this point I should add that they will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next year, as a two tablet couple.
This is where it really turns into mum's story and mum's relationship with Facebook. My mum likes to see what is going on and in particular the pictures people post but she does not like the dross that interlaces these. Attempting to explain how to post as well as like, how to block the unnecessary dreg posts still remains quite complicated for everyone not just my mum. Making it more straightforward for us all lies in the hands of Facebook developers and they never quite get there. My mum is a little bit timid about internet technology in general but I am convinced she will become more confident with use, already she is posting compelling responses and I think having her own device will make a difference.
As for my dad, well he was already digitally more advanced, he is a voracious writer and has had a computer since the late 90s. He carried all his favourite music on his laptop when he first visited my sister in the states. He loves the fact he can order rare theology books from obscure bookshops in New York. And has started to get interested in MOOCs, a yeh there for my dad!
So could my dad or even my mum be described as a silver surfer. I did a bit of a search for literature on digital literacy, technology and older/elderly people - those actual keywords and in the end got some of the most relevant results by using the phrase "silver surfer". One of the articles I found was Choudrie and Vyas's interesting study "Silver surfers adopting and using Facebook? A quantitative study of Hertfordshire applied to organizational and social change". This research found that older people adopt technologies when when there is a fast and reliable internet connection and when support is available, from experience I would also add having your own device makes a difference. Additionally they observed that older users had concerns about privacy, and this is certainly the case with my parents who have often queried who can see the information posted on Facebook. The study also discovered that men were more motivated to use Online Social Networking, however this does not seem to reflect what I have seen with my family and friends where the women are more active on Facebook than the men, although I am well aware these are only observations and this is a small insignificant sample.
Choudrie and Vyas do not go into a great deal of depth with respect to defining silver surfers. They refer to NetLingo (2012) (that provides a definition that is also upheld by Wikipedia), as net users who are 50 years plus which according to Choudrie and Vyas relates to geriatric research where 50 is the cut off point where the decline in performance begins (Albert and Heaton 1988). Although the etymology of silver surfer is positive, the increased use of the internet by older people, I take issue with the creation and use of the phrase to define the digital capabilities of a particular age group and like the phrase digital natives it is not helpful. I think the term silver surfer is a far too convenient and easy way to categorise. For example, in two years time I will be a silver surfer but I don't predict that my internet usage will miraculously change when I turn 50, it is already an integral part of my work and life. I would argue that its not about age its about emersion, access to technology has major impact on your digital capability regardless of age, case in point my mum and dad. As over population of overs 50s increases, and technology becomes more pervasive in people's lives, I think research should focus on social and cultural aspects as well as gerontology.
Choudrie, Jyoti, and Amit Vyas. "Silver surfers adopting and using Facebook? A quantitative study of Hertfordshire, UK applied to organizational and social change." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 89 (2014): 293-305.
This is where it really turns into mum's story and mum's relationship with Facebook. My mum likes to see what is going on and in particular the pictures people post but she does not like the dross that interlaces these. Attempting to explain how to post as well as like, how to block the unnecessary dreg posts still remains quite complicated for everyone not just my mum. Making it more straightforward for us all lies in the hands of Facebook developers and they never quite get there. My mum is a little bit timid about internet technology in general but I am convinced she will become more confident with use, already she is posting compelling responses and I think having her own device will make a difference.
As for my dad, well he was already digitally more advanced, he is a voracious writer and has had a computer since the late 90s. He carried all his favourite music on his laptop when he first visited my sister in the states. He loves the fact he can order rare theology books from obscure bookshops in New York. And has started to get interested in MOOCs, a yeh there for my dad!
So could my dad or even my mum be described as a silver surfer. I did a bit of a search for literature on digital literacy, technology and older/elderly people - those actual keywords and in the end got some of the most relevant results by using the phrase "silver surfer". One of the articles I found was Choudrie and Vyas's interesting study "Silver surfers adopting and using Facebook? A quantitative study of Hertfordshire applied to organizational and social change". This research found that older people adopt technologies when when there is a fast and reliable internet connection and when support is available, from experience I would also add having your own device makes a difference. Additionally they observed that older users had concerns about privacy, and this is certainly the case with my parents who have often queried who can see the information posted on Facebook. The study also discovered that men were more motivated to use Online Social Networking, however this does not seem to reflect what I have seen with my family and friends where the women are more active on Facebook than the men, although I am well aware these are only observations and this is a small insignificant sample.
Choudrie and Vyas do not go into a great deal of depth with respect to defining silver surfers. They refer to NetLingo (2012) (that provides a definition that is also upheld by Wikipedia), as net users who are 50 years plus which according to Choudrie and Vyas relates to geriatric research where 50 is the cut off point where the decline in performance begins (Albert and Heaton 1988). Although the etymology of silver surfer is positive, the increased use of the internet by older people, I take issue with the creation and use of the phrase to define the digital capabilities of a particular age group and like the phrase digital natives it is not helpful. I think the term silver surfer is a far too convenient and easy way to categorise. For example, in two years time I will be a silver surfer but I don't predict that my internet usage will miraculously change when I turn 50, it is already an integral part of my work and life. I would argue that its not about age its about emersion, access to technology has major impact on your digital capability regardless of age, case in point my mum and dad. As over population of overs 50s increases, and technology becomes more pervasive in people's lives, I think research should focus on social and cultural aspects as well as gerontology.
Choudrie, Jyoti, and Amit Vyas. "Silver surfers adopting and using Facebook? A quantitative study of Hertfordshire, UK applied to organizational and social change." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 89 (2014): 293-305.
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