Will My Data Be Legacies? An Elderly Perspective on Digital Assets and Digital Legacies

Aline E C Verhalen,Kamila R Da Hora Rodrigues,Patricia C De Souza,Cristiano Maciel

doi:10.5753/jis.2021.975

Aline E C Verhalen, Kamila R Da Hora Rodrigues + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2021.975

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Abstract

The number of senior citizens who use mobile phones is increasing each year in Brazil. This trend means they are producers of digital assets (which may eventually become a legacy), due to constant data generation. This exploratory study follows a quantitative and qualitative approach and uses a survey as a data collection technique to address the research subject – investigating the perspective of senior citizens regarding digital legacy and assets. The authors conclude, given the importance of the results, that it is still necessary to pursue a larger study with the elderly for the development of initiatives that help improve knowledge and technology use as well as to increase their perception about their own digital assets.

Highlights

The number of senior citizens who use mobile phones is increasing each year in Brazil
Every person who accesses digital platforms through the Internet unavoidably generates data, which Maciel and Pereira (2012) call digital assets
Digital assets are the data we produce during our life time existing in a digital medium, and digi tal legacy is the set of data, accounts and passwords that are stored digitally and make up the legacy of the person who created them in a digital medium

Summary

Introduction

Every person who accesses digital platforms through the Internet (for example, social networks, computers, tablets, among others) unavoidably generates data (pictures taken with a mobile phone, voice messages, emails, etc.), which Maciel and Pereira (2012) call digital assets. Considering them in legal terms, Edwards and Harbina (2013) write about how the regulation of assets in the digital environment is important for a person’s privacy, since, for example, there have already been legal battles so that the email of someone who died could be accessed by the family. In general terms, these assets will become a part of a per son’s digital legacy following his or her death and anyone can choose to grant or deny access to this information. The amount of data is increasing every day, there is little reflection on the subject matter

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