Aging in the digital era: A study on Italian older adults’ complex relationship with mobile phones

Abstract

This paper examines how older adults in Italy engage with mobile phones. A study involving 344 older adults was conducted to explore ownership and usage patterns of the mobile phone compared to other major digital technologies, and to analyze the phone's specific subjective significance. The concept of structural dissonance is introduced to highlight the discrepancy between the mobile phone and digital technologies in general, typically designed by young, hyper-masculine ICT professionals, and the realities of older users, for whom continuous learning can be burdensome. Early accounts emphasized the feelings of pressure and guilt imposed on older adults during the initial phase of the information society. The study addresses three questions: (1) whether older adults still internalize these emotions in their relationship with the mobile phone; (2) whether distinct age groups within this demographic experience varying relationships with the technology; and (3) whether this device poses a specific challenge for older women. The findings, derived from a survey incorporating both open and closed-ended questions, reveal that older adults still experience feelings of discomfort with mobile phones. Younger old adults (ages 65–74) are more engaged with this device than older old adults (ages 75–84), who are in turn more engaged than the oldest older adults (85 and older). Furthermore, older women generally have an equal or greater level of comfort with this device in comparison to men.