Older adults' hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in information and communication technology activities

Abstract

Purpose of the study This research examined whether older adults' hedonic and eudaimonic well-being during information and communication technology (ICT) activities are associated with their experiences in daily life activities, and investigated whether perceived usefulness, daily life well-being and computer attitudes can be used to predict hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in ICT usage. Methods The sample comprised 84 older adults aged 61 to 86 years living in Japan. A battery of questionnaires was used to assess hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, perceived usefulness and computer attitudes in a range of daily life activities and their ICT counterparts. Results The results indicated that in online news reading and online chatting, older adults' well-being associated with ICT activities was significantly correlated with that in corresponding daily life activities. In online shopping and writing email, the relation between older adults' well-being in ICT activities and their well-being in corresponding daily activities was moderated by perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness and daily life well-being are important predictors of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in ICT usage, whereas self-efficacy is a unique predictor of eudaimonic well-being in ICT usage. Discussion Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in ICT usage were two important and different perspectives when investigating user experiences in ICT. In addition, older adults’ hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in ICT usage were associated with that in corresponding daily life. These findings are discussed in terms of the design of ICT systems to improve well-being of older adults in ICT usage.