Abstract
This study explores how older adults use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their spiritual and religious lives. How widespread is their use? What kinds of ICTS do they use and for what reasons? What impact do they have on their religious and spiritual lives? We explored these questions by collecting interviews with 90 older adults, average age 77, from six major Judeo-Christian faith traditions. The sample was developed from nominations by pastors, priests, and rabbis in three southern California cities. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed through abductive analysis. Many older adults in our sample reported using ICTs to assist their devotional lives—nine in ten of our participants provided examples, thus dispelling technology as merely a tool for the young to incorporate into their religious lives. An unexpected finding of the research was the wide variety of ICT usage mentioned by these elderly participants —over 15 distinct ones were mentioned. The reasons for using ICTs fell into two primary categories: compensating for age related changes and capitalizing on unique opportunities for growth in later life. The results demonstrate support for Carstensen’s Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory and have implications for practitioners working with older adults, such as social workers and clergy, as well as for marketers in industry.
Highlights
This journal is published by the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh as part of its D-Scribe Digital Publishing Program, and is cosponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Press
Richard (69, Evangelical) said that he used the internet to do research on religious topics: “If I want to know about King Solomon or the first temple or something you just Google it and you get all kinds of information
Marian (78, Episcopalian) is a member of an email subscription: “I receive a daily meditation e-mail online every morning written by Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest, Franciscan, and I am gaining a broader understanding through some of his writings that lead me to this sense of that God is within us.”
Summary
This journal is published by the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh as part of its D-Scribe Digital Publishing Program, and is cosponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Press. At the same time as seniors’ use of technology is expanding, another trend is continuing: older Americans are more actively involved in religious and spiritual pursuits than any other age group (Silverstein and Bengtson 2017). As they near the end of life, many older adults describe later life as an opportunity to grow in their religious and spiritual development (Bengtson, Kang, Endacott, Gonzales, and Silverstein 2018). How do seniors make use of such technologies? What are the benefits they see and the barriers they face in doing so? In exploring
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