‘No good for shovelling snow and carrying firewood’: Social representations of computers and the internet by elderly Finnish non-users

Abstract

This study explores elderly people’s refusal to use the computer and the internet from the perspective of social representations by seeking answers to the following questions: How do the respondents classify the computer and the internet? What kind of images do they use to depict the computer and the internet? How do the social representations of the computer and the internet express the respondents’ distinct identities, interests, history and culture? The research data consist of written accounts by Finnish elderly people living in non-urban environments. Their social representations can be summarized as follows: the computer and the internet are useless and risky ‘tools and things’ that threaten one’s freedom, lifestyle, health and security as well as create differences between users and non-users. The study shows how some elderly people’s distinct identities, interests, history and culture may limit their motivation and capacity to welcome and use the computer.