Digital Home: Life Transitions and Digital Domestic Practices in Later Life

Abstract

As older adults become active users of digital technologies, digital activity among this age group is increasingly associated with life stage factors. This paper discusses the understanding of life stage as explanatory factors in older adults’ digital engagement by exploring the association between life transitions and digital domestic practices in Finland. The study is based on an analysis of qualitative, in-person interview data from 20 participants between the ages of 50 and 78 who recently bought their own apartment in Western or Central Finland. The aims are to identify variances of life transitions in relation to domestic practices, investigate the association between life transitions and digital engagement at home, and evaluate the possibilities for incorporating digital domestic ecosystems into the daily lives of older adults. The study makes three main propositions: digital domestic practices are influenced by financial decision-making processes in households; life transitions and changes in social and personal relationships influence the emergence and creation of digital practices at home; and the appropriation of digital domestic ecosystems requires social and cultural changes regarding the desirability and accessibility of digital services. To this end, the study considers the extent to which the concept of life stages could be taken into consideration in the digital design of domestic practices among older people in Finland.