Affiliation:
1. School of Communication and Media Studies, Lisbon Polytechnic Institute, Portugal
Abstract
The context of demographic aging, combined with the wide dissemination of information and communication technologies (ICT), in the various domains of society defined a set of challenges, potentialities, and limits for seniors (65+). Although there is a positive evolution regarding adhesion and even domestication of ICT by this age segment, namely the internet and digital social networking sites, the literature review presents us with an immature, limited, and fragmented field of study, comprising an immense space of evolution. Aware of the strength, magnitude, and considerable ignorance of the action of seniors in the network society, this chapter intends to map, through a review of the multidisciplinary literature, how the relationship of seniors with ICTs is configured. In addition, usage behavior, as well as the drivers, and the consequences for the elderly of navigating digital social networks are also analyzed.