Theory of Connectedness through Social Networking towards Well-Being of Senior Citizens

Abstract

Some of researches have been conducted investigating the benefits of connectedness to people’s well-being. However, limited researches are made about the impact of connectedness on senior citizens having social networks with their families and friends. This study, therefore, examined the effects of digital and non-digital forms of social networking on senior citizens’ well-being. The participants were taken from Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, and they were selected through purposive sampling and snowball technique. The research used the phenomenological method and pre-experimental design using pretest and posttest assessments. In this study, the theory of connectedness was developed by establishing axioms and propositions. The theory suggests that human beings need others to socialize and relate with. It proposes that connectedness through social networking using the digital form (facebook, skype, chats, and email) and the non-digital form (face-to-face interactions) a positive impact on the senior citizens’ well-being. Keywords - Geriatric Nursing, acceptance, aging, phenomenology, case study, quasiexperimental design, Ozamiz City, Philippines