MOBILE COMMUNICATION AND ELDERLY PEOPLE: EXCLUSION AND DIFFERENTIAL USE OF MOBILE DEVICES

This paper presents part of a study that examines how elderly people integrate mobile communication technologies into their everyday practices. Drawing from the analysis of in-depth interviews and situational conversations applied to 10 elderly people of Concepcion, Chile, this paper informs about the factors that determine a differential use of these technologies among participants of this research. The findings show that difficulties and inequalities in the use of mobile communication technologies are related to multiple factors: educational levels, working experiences and socioeconomic levels are related to insecurities and fears due to the lack of appropriate instruction about technology. In addition, difficulties emerged from physical and cognitive deterioration because of aging, such as the loss of vision, fine-motor skills and memory, are enhanced by the inexistence of mobile devices and applications designed to respond to the particular characteristics of this age group.