Talking 'costs': seniors, cell phones and the personal and political economy of telecommunications in Canada

Abstract

Seniors, defined as persons aged 65 and up, are becoming a much larger demographic in Canada at the same time as the wireless telecommunications industry is expanding. Yet in terms of academic research, few studies have examined how seniors understand and negotiate the influx of digital communications devices, such as the cellular telephone, into their world. Using industry and government data, as well as individual and group interviews and observations with over 120 Canadian seniors, this paper examines the repertoire of cost in the group discussions held with this cohort. It does so from the perspective of a feminist political economy that takes into account individual experiences in the context of macro-level, structural analyses of institutions and industry. This preliminary study suggests that financial considerations play a significant role in seniors cell phone practices and may lead to a strategic decision to impose restrictions on their use. These restrictions to access often run counter to the desire, amongst many seniors, to have access to a cell phone for emergency purposes. The comments made by this cohort make apparent the way that personal economies within a household on restricted or fixed incomes intersect with the practices of the wireless industry and suggest future avenues for media and ageing studies.