Effects on age inequality

• Berry - Digital divide 


  • Only 8% of over 55s has social media  
  • ¼ of over 60’s has online shopped   
  • 4 factors (DISC) = Disability, lack of Interest, lack of Skills, Cost
  • More likely to be online if they have a larger social capital
  • Governments and websites should do more to help the elderly as this has led to exclusion and marginalisation
• Barbosa-Neves 


  • Older people in care homes were highly frustrated due to not understanding the language of technology like 'swipe' and 'zoom'
  • Lack of linguistic knowledge made it hard to teach them
• Labour Force Survey (LFS)


  • More older people going online - 29% in 2013 vs 54% in 2020
  • Survey was done before Covid-19 lockdown so this number is expected to have increased since
• Smith et al 


  • 20% of their sample had experienced cyberbullying within the last two months 
  • Found in the form of texts, calls, emails, and some chat rooms 
  • Few children told anyone about it and in most cases, it stopped after a few weeks 
• Royal Society for Public Health 


  • Instagram poorly impacts mental health
  • Users suffered from loneliness, anxiety, depression, bullying, and body image problems in a cycle of 'compare, despair'
  • Reports of social media addiction in young people, neglection of real-life friendships
  • Instagram should highlight when photos have been photoshopped to stop comparison to professionally enhanced, sexualized images 
• Boyle 


  • The young are more likely to take advantage of the internet and use it for opportunities, such as becoming an influencer or 'prosumer'
• McGonigal (positive)

  • Average 21-year-old man has played 10,000 hours of gaming  
  • Helps young people deal with boredom and anger, learn to be creative and problem solve, work with others, and deal with failure  
  • Gamers are more optimistic and consume less food 
• Youthnet


  • Young people grew up using social media as ‘digital natives’ and felt comfortable and natural in the virtual world 
  • Allows them to be creative and empowers them; 45% of sample felt happiest online, 75% said they couldn’t live without the internet 
• Turkle 


  • All age groups are disadvantaged due to being 'alone together' - elderly sit silently alone whilst youth sit on their devices
  • Gives us the feeling of interconnectedness and control but in reality, we are lonely and isolated 
  • ‘Post familial’ family who are no longer familiar with each other because they do not share experiences or talk intimately, they spend time on digital devices instead.
• OFCOM survey 2015 


  • Ethnic minorities are more likely to have higher levels of internet access and screen time than white population
• Statistica


  • 60% of the African population owns a mobile phone, 25% use the internet daily
  • A home internet connection in Colombia costs 20% of the minimum wage
  • Some groups, such as the oppressed, the poor, and those without social capital are disadvantaged
• Dal Yong Jin 


  • 98% of internet platforms are run by for-profit organisations, 78% are US based - 'platform imperialism'
  • Internet is dominated by capitalist American platforms that are a hegemonic force
  • Media is now in the hands of the few - Rupert Murdoch owns a fifth of the UK's news consumption
• Curran & Seaton


  • It is an illusion to think that the digital revolution is a global phenomenon - the privileged delude themselves into thinking their concerns are globally representative
  • In 2000, London had more internet sites that the whole of Africa