The main purpose of this book is to answer the question whether all generations are able to appreciate, find and use new technologies and the possibilities they open up. It is composed of diverse chapters, some including theoretical reflections and some more focused on reporting empirical outcomes. The book is divided into three sections: two framed according to biological ageing categories (younger and older people's interaction with new media), and the third composed of chapters more focused on comparing the two age groups. Mixed methods involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used, ranging from ethnography to surveys and studies using eye tracking and heatmaps to investigate usage.
Framed around questions of inclusion and ‘inclusive society’, the volume pays considerable attention to the issue of the digital (generational) divide and to the extent to which the distinction between ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrants’ exists. Marc Prensky first used these terms (Prensky 2001a, 2001b) when arguing that students beginning their studies with him in 2001 were radically different from previous cohorts (and, more to the point, from their lecturers and educational institutions) in the way they thought and processed information. The discussion born in this particular field (i.e. education studies) has since broadened to include the generational divide between those born before and after the introduction of digital technologies. One problem with the idea of this supposed digital divide, well identified by several chapters in the volume, is that it simplifies issues such as when exactly this introduction happened, and how we can determine its impact on the way we think. The book shows how the concept of the digital divide problematically flattens intra-generational and socio-economic differences as inconsequential. This presumed homogeneity of technology users fails to recognise significant differences among younger adults who are not proficient or not particularly interested in navigating the digital landscape, older adults who are proficient or interested, and everyone in the middle. The authors suggest instead a ‘digital spectrum’: a concept taking into account varying degrees of usage depending on such factors as gender, education, income, ethnicity and status as a more useful approach for understanding the relationship between technology and age.
In Part 1, Chapter 1 discusses family relations around internet usage, and different parental mediation strategies (e.g. restriction versus control), with particular attention paid to issues of trust and privacy. Chapter 2 provides the reader with a discussion of how teenagers become ‘competent moral agents’ by developing a framework to establish a moral decision-making process when using the internet. Morality is interestingly discussed here as socially, culturally and contextually contingent. Chapter 3 highlights divergences in the way new (networked) communication shapes ‘new forms of social life’ and how children tend to see the internet and computers as being recreational, while parents tend to connect them more to complex modes of communication and realities linked with status. Attention is paid here to gender differences, in that distinction is sometimes made between female and male adolescents' attitudes (and those of their parents) towards internet security. Chapter 4 challenges the very concept of ‘digital natives’ and their competency by providing us with data from students taking internet proficiency classes who display diverse skills sets and interests in these media.
In Part 2, Chapter 5 shows convincingly how complex the often oversimplified category of ‘oldest old’ is, managing to provide us succinctly with good tools for thought, both theoretical (from gerontological and Science and Technology Studies perspectives) and empirical. The author warns us, for example, to make a distinction between the consequences of age itself and those due to generational belonging. He also discusses the complex decision-making process people experience when learning to use a ‘new’ device. In his words, ‘[o]ne does not start using any new technology without being sure that its usefulness is greater than the effort it takes to learn to use it’ (p. 97). Chapter 6 is strongly based on empirical research and provides web designers with a research-based ‘check list’ of things to take into account for inclusive design in this area. Chapter 7 also consists of an applied and empirically based section discussing heat-maps of people's interaction with transportation-related ticket machines.
In Part 3, Chapter 8 takes a look at the communication capabilities and problems (intended as an interaction between individual skills, motivation and access opportunities) of different age groups after briefly discussing how to classify digital ‘natives’ and ‘immigrants’. Chapter 9 introduces different social factors that affect users' interaction with the digital world, suggesting that educational attainment is the most influential in determining all types of internet skills. Chapter 10 compares older and younger adults' web browsing using eye-tracking studies. The authors show how the most important determining factor of proficiency in using the internet is the frequency of internet usage rather than age.
The diverse approaches of the chapters will appeal to different audiences. Some of the applied chapters will be useful to people working in this area and looking for practical suggestions to implement design while others will be valuable to people thinking about the difficult questions emerging in this field and give a flavour of the complexity of the topic.
