Abstract
The proliferation of digital technology has brought about rapid social and economic change, the consequences of which have not been evenly distributed. Older people, in particular, tend to be less engaged with digital technology and as a result, are said to be at risk of 'digital exclusion'. In this paper, we explore how digital technology is discursively linked to ageing and social and economic participation. The analysis is based on 38 interviews with representatives of industry, government and civil society asked to share their views of the opportunities and risks associated with age and participation in the context of rapid developments in digital technology. Using discourse analysis we identify two competing ways interview participants made connections between digital technology and its perceived effects on the economic and social participation of an ageing population. In the first, digital technology drives human progress as a ‘fix’ to some of the social and economic challenges associated with ageing but also demands a cautious approach to minimise unforeseen negative consequences. In the second, digital technology is a tool, whose development can be driven by humans in order to solve a range of problems, including economic and social participation in later life. We consider the implications of these two discourses, discussing the potential of each for achieving a sense of empowerment in the ageing community and addressing the challenge of lifelong participation.
Highlights
In Australia and around the world the population is ageing
Terms such as 'digital transformation', 'digital disruption' and 'digital inclusion' reflect the substantial impact that digital technology has on the way in which we live and work, and the importance of being able to use and access digital technology to participate in contemporary society
At the intersection of ageing, technology and participation, two overarching discourses could be discerned, in both of which the effect of technology appeared to predominate over the effect of age. These two discourses were 1—that technology will lead human progress and we cannot predict how the future will be, instead we just need to wait and see what innovation brings; and 2—that we need to drive the development of technology to bring about the future of our own choice
Summary
In Australia and around the world the population is ageing. Increased life expectancies, combined with a falling birth rate mean that the ratio of working age to 65+ adults is falling. The United Nations (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015) predicts that, by 2050, all major areas of the world except Africa will have nearly a quarter or more of their populations aged 60 or over. This demographic disruption is occurring alongside rapid advances in digital technology. Terms such as 'digital transformation', 'digital disruption' and 'digital inclusion' reflect the substantial impact that digital technology has on the way in which we live and work, and the importance of being able to use and access digital technology to participate in contemporary society. Demographic and digital disruption are not just occurring side by side; they are likely to interact in their effects
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