Documentation, Informaiton & Knowledge ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 138-149.doi: 10.13366/j.dik.2024.02.138

• Knowledge, Learning & Management • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Initiatively Accessing Towards Digital Inclusion: A Study on the Formation and Mechanism of the Elderly' Sense of Digital Acquisition

LI Jiaoyang1, FAN Zhenjia1,2, YANG Lijuan1   

  1. 1.Business School of Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071;
    2.Nankai University Library, Tianjin, 300071
  • Online:2024-03-10 Published:2024-05-14
  • Contact: Correspondence should be addressed to FAN Zhenjia, Email: fanzhenjia@nankai.edu.cn, ORCID: 0000-0003-4966-6965
  • Supported by:
    This is an outcome of the project "Research on the Multiple Causes of Information Poverty and the Path of ICT Aging Adaptation for the Elderly in the Age of Digital Intelligence"(ZB22BZ0213)supported by Liberal Arts Foundation of Nankai University and the project "Research on the Mechanism and Overall Governance of Information Poverty among Rural Residents from the Perspective of Capability "(20BTQ077)supported by National Social Science Foundation of China.

Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] In the process of building a digital inclusion system, it is of great significance to explore the issue of the sense of digital acquisition for the elderly population in integrating into digital life, focus on the initiative of the elderly population in integrating into the digital inclusion system, and attempt to deconstruct the formation and mechanism of sense of digital acquisition for the elderly population. [Design/Methodology] Based on the literature review, this article applied the grounded theory to conduct a study on the sense of digital acquisition in the elderly. The interview content was encoded using NVivo12 software to explore the formation and mechanism of the sense of digital acquisition in the elderly. A conceptual model of the mechanism of the elderly people's sense of digital acquisition in the digital inclusive environment was constructed, and the relationship and theoretical principles between various factors were further explored. [Findings/Conclusion] The results show that the digital contradiction in the elderly population is a friction phenomenon between digital inertia and connectivity needs, and is an important antecedent factor in the development of digital technology application behavior; the sense of self actualization and fair participation in the application behavior of digital technology among the elderly population are the key factors determining whether they actively move towards digital inclusion; Social support affects the sense of digital acquisition of elderly people by meeting their care needs, which in turn affects their initiative to integrate. [Originality/Value] This study focuses on the initiative of the older population to study the formation and mechanism of digital access, and the findings provide a positive reference for exploring the characteristics and direction of the construction of a digital inclusion system in the age of digital intelligence.

Keywords: Digital inclusion, The elderly, Sense of digital acquisition, Digital contradiction, Initiative