Does Heterogeneity in Older Adults’ Digital Media Use Increase as They Age? A Longitudinal Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates whether there is evidence of divergence in older adults’ digital media use as they age. Theoretically, we build on studies of digital media and ageing, contributing to the idea of ‘aged heterogeneity’ and the concept of technology generations. In contrast to previous studies that have mainly approached the topic through qualitative means, we analyse a three-wave (2016, 2018 and 2020) cross-national panel survey (N = 10,805; n = 3889) using linear growth curve models to answer two research questions. The respondents were Internet users aged 60 and over (in 2016). Our results show no evidence of an increasing divergence in digital media use with the age of the respondents. We also found no evidence that increasing heterogeneity is related to specific technology generations or countries. Quite the contrary, we found evidence of ‘aged homogeneity’ in digital media use. However, digital media use increased for all the generations studied except the oldest. The findings contribute to the idea of active ageing with digital media and call for more research on converging media practices.