From Fear to Story: Digital Participation and Active Aging in a Rural Thai Community Enterprise

Abstract

This study examines how older adults in a rural Thai community enterprise experience participation in the context of digital transformation and active aging. Drawing on participatory communication and intergenerational learning frameworks, it investigates how older women artisans integrate digital media into livelihood practices and selfexpression. Using a qualitative case study design (n = 12), the study identifies a continuum of communicative participation ranging from passive presence and assisted engagement to active self-representation and digital storytelling. The findings show that participation is not a linear process of skill acquisition, but a relational trajectory shaped by trust, mentorship, and emotional confidence. Intergenerational collaboration functions as a form of social infrastructure that supports experimentation and the development of communicative agency. The study contributes by reframing active aging as communicative participation and offering a context-sensitive framework for understanding participation in rural settings.