How are digital technologies and older adults discussed in times of a global health crisis: A cross-cultural newspaper analysis in Germany and Japan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a digital push in many areas, the inclusion of older adults remains an open challenge. Japan is a super-aged society and often portrayed as more open to digital transformation compared to European societies such as Germany. This provides an opportunity for a cross-cultural understanding of older adults’ representation in newspaper discourse of health(care) and well-being related digital technologies since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Focusing on the health(care) context during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and Japan, this paper shows how digital technologies are discussed in newspaper articles. Further, we contribute to a cross-cultural understanding of older adults’ representation in public media in relation to healthcare technologies and COVID-19. Based on our analysis, we present lessons to be learned from Japan in providing recommendations for a more inclusive digital transformation.

We analyzed 245 newspaper articles centering on older adults, digital technologies and specifically on health technology from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (91 articles) and Asahi Shimbun (154 articles), published between March 1st, 2020, and May 31st, 2022. We used qualitative content analysis (QCA) and open-coding techniques in a data driven approach to systematize codes into meaningful categories.

In Germany, the discourse focused on the competitive advantage that digital technologies, such as smartphones, apps, robots, and artificial intelligence offer to the healthcare context, while only a few articles discussed elderly in relation to technology. In Japan, there was a strong representation of older adults both quantitatively and qualitatively. While the German newspaper discourse centered on “the old and the sick'' and older adults’ lack of digital competence, the Japanese discourse covered more diverse perspectives, for example, personal stories of older adults, a specific discussion of their needs, and ways on how to promote their digital literacy. While in Germany the voices of older adults were underrepresented, the dominant message in Japan was: “Don’t forget the elderly”.

Our recommendations for an inclusive digital society include (1) shifting the discussion of digital transformation to a more holistic way, taking into account not only economic and technical aspects, but also physical, mental and educational barriers that need to be addressed, (2) providing specific ways where all members of the society can participate in digital transformation, for example, via access to education and awareness building, and (3) facilitating a more active role of older adults in the public discourse for an adequate representation of their diverse lived experiences.