Keywords

1 Introduction

During the past couple of decades, world’s middle-aged and older adults population are increasing dramatically due to the continuous decline in fertility and general increase in the average life span [1]. The population aging trend leads to the increase of health expenditure [2], and becomes one of the greatest challenges globally.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) show a huge potential to improve the ageing population’s life quality [3], and reduce the social expenditures [4, 5]. However, there is a ‘intergenerational gap’ of ICT adoption and use between older adults and young people. According to the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) [6], as the age increase, the proportion of Internet users to the nation population decreases from the middle-aged generation, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Age structure comparison

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Illustrated by Fig. 1, the ‘intergenerational gap’ of ICT adoption and use is separated by the middle-aged group. Moreover, as the middle-aged people will eventually step into the aged life stage, we propose to choose the standing point of middle age to understand the ICT adoption and use, for bridging the ‘intergenerational gap’.

Data source: China Internet Network Information Centre [6]; National Bureau of Statistics of China [7];

2 Literature Review

In the early investigation on general ICT adoption and use, age is not an extensively explored factor. Although the theory of planned behavior (TPB) [8] and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) [9] both include the age as a moderator, the original forms of other adoption models such as technology acceptance model (TAM) [10] or the theory of reasoned action (TRA) [11] do not specifically exam the role of age in ICT adoption and use.

However, more and more studies suggest that the age indeed matters in ICT adoption and use. The failure of traditional adoption models in predicating older adult’s ICT adoption can be regarded as an indirect evidence to indicate that age matters. For example, Heart and Kalderon [12] report that TPB is only partially supported in older adult’s health-related ICT adoption; Braun [13] reports the similar findings that TAM can only partially explain the older adults’ SNS adoption behaviours; Magsamen-Conrad, Upadhyaya, Joa and Dowd [14] suggest that only two determinants out of four in UTAUT have good explanatory power in predicting people’s tablet adoption when the sample group ranged from 19 to 99 year old. Additionally, some inter group studies provide some direct evidences. Czaja and Sharit [15] report that the middle-aged and the older adults perceived less comfort, efficacy and control over ICT than the younger generation. Morris and Venkatesh [16] find various influencing factors between older and younger workers in workplace condition, and report that older people are more likely influenced by subjective norm and perceived behavioral control while the younger ones are more strongly influenced by attitude in ICT adoption and use.

Based on such age awareness, order adult’s ICT adoption draws much attention and becomes a hot research topic. Qualitative methods (e.g., in-depth interview [17, 18], focus group [18,19,20], grounded theory [21], literature survey [22], and case study [23], etc.) are commonly adopted in this research area to understand the older adult’s ICT adoption and use. These studies indicate that attitudes and abilities are two main predictors when exploring the older adult’s technology use [3]. However, it seems that the relationship, namely positive attitude vs. negative attitude, or use vs. non-use, is not one coin’s two sides. As reported by the prior works, positive attitudes are affected by the weighing between perceived benefit against cost [19, 20]; while the negative attitudes frequently associated with limited relevance of new technologies [17, 24], health risks, and social problems arising from using technologies (e.g., social isolation and addiction) [21]. Despite some common conclusions, such as the important role of external supporting and training in support the older adults’ ICT use [18, 23], the more ambivalent points remain unclear. As what Lee and Coughlin [22] suggest, a holistic view is much needed in understanding older adults’ acceptance and use of emerging new technologies (which are not limited to web-based internet technologies, but with a wider coverage of smartphones and sensor-based Internet of Things).

Despite the growing attention on older adult’s ICT adoption, the prior literatures rarely touched the middle-aged population which may step into the aged group sooner or later. Thus, our study aims at focusing on the middle-aged people’s ICT adoption and use to bridge the research gaps.

3 Research Questions

This study is built on the basis of two theoretical assumptions: (1) The middle-aged population shares many similarities with the older generation in ICT adoption and use, as the two generations both can be viewed as ‘digital immigrants’ [25]. ‘Digital immigrants’ and ‘digital natives’ are a pair of terms created by Marc Prensky [26], the former referring to those who learnt to use IT devices at some stage during their adult lives, while the latter referring to those who have born in a digital world with ubiquitous ICT applications. This assumption enables us to re-examine the older adult’s ICT adoption and use in middle-aged generation settings. (2) We further assume that the middle-age people yet have unique characteristics compared with older adults, as the former group has more exposure to ICT environment.

To compare with the older adult’s ICT adoption research of Selwyn [17], Heart and Kalderon [12], we raise the following research questions:

  • How do middle-aged people access to ICTs?

  • What access do middle-aged people have to ICT support?

  • What factors are associated with middle-aged people’s access to ICT?

  • What attitudes do middle-aged people have on ICT use in the future?

4 Research Design

4.1 Research Method

This study employs semi-structured interview as the research method, and follows a general interview approach [27]. The adoption of semi-structured interview is based on two reasons. First, prior studies suggest that the traditional quantitative models do not show a good explanatory power in predicting people’s ICT adoption and use when the sample group includes middle-aged and older adults as stated previously [14, 28]. Second, semi-structured interview is wildly acknowledged as an effective approach of probing attitudes. It gives interviewer multiple choices in the wordings, helps respondent recall the memory, and enables the respondent to clarify the interested and relevant issues [29].

4.2 Interviewees and Interview Process

The participants of this study are recruited from a local community at Nanjing, China. The paper-based recruitment notices were posted at the main traffic entrances of the community; at the same time, the electronic notices were distributed via the community’s households online chatting groups. After two week’s recruiting, a total of 19 volunteers responded. Since the ‘middle age’ is a loosely defined term, commonly involving one of the three occasions, 40−59, 40−65, or 45−65 years old, this study uses the 40−59 years old occasion. After identifying the age, eventually 12 participants were recruited from whole volunteers.

The interviews take 7 days to complete. At the first two days, 2 people were invited randomly to the first-round pilot interviews. The interview questions and wordings were revised in the pilot study. The rest 10 formal interviews were scheduled to take 20 to 40 min at the common activity space in the community. Each participant was offered a small gift valued around 5 dollars after the interview. The demographic summary is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Demographic Summary
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5 Results

The interview results are compared under four key themes that guided the interviews: access to ICTs, access to ICT support, influencing factors on ICT adoption and use, and the attitudes on ICT adoption and use in the future.

5.1 Access to ICTs

First, the results show that the transition of socio-technical infrastructure is the precondition for middle-aged people’s ICT adoption. The interviewees from this study all report that their uses of new ICTs are tightly accompanied with their use of smart phones. The phenomenon indicates that the adoption of ICT is embedded in the development of socio-technical systems. On the one hand, the low price and availability of smart phones, together with the ambient affordable wireless connection, pull the user to the information age; on the other hand, the upgrade of technical systems which makes the outdated tools be no longer accessible, is a push factor for users to adopt the new technology.

When do you begin to use the mobile apps such as WeChat?

Previously, my phone is not the smart one. It can only make the calls and send the text messages… it’s nearly impossible to find such phones in the stores nowadays… As soon as I transferred to this smart phone 4 years ago, I began to use the apps…

Additionally, the transition of socio-technical infrastructure also leads to cultural changes about the ICT use. Being exposed to such cultural environment in which the use of ICT becomes a social wave, the actors will get access to more hints, reasons, and opportunities of knowing the ICT, which may further result in the actual adoption behaviors.

Why do you begin to use the mobile apps?

I think most people around me own smartphone now. It’s obvious, no matter on bus station or in supermarket, people are always watching at their phones … I heard a new word to call them, ‘phubber’? (laughing) But it’s so normal today.

5.2 Access to ICT Support: Intergenerational Learning

This study reveals that the intergenerational learning plays a notable role in supporting middle-aged people’s ICT use at different stages. At the initial-adoption phase, younger generation usually plays a dominant role in helping older generation accept the ICTs. At the post-adoption phase, the younger generation acts as the recommender and facilitator in older generation’s ICT continuous use.

How do you know the apps?

This phone was brought by my daughter. She taught me how to use the touch-screen mobile phone. She helped me do the default settings and install the initial apps… My daughter recommended this app to me (interviewee show a cloud-music app on her phone screen). I like it very much …

How do you solve the problems in smartphone app using?

My method is to keep learning. First, I’ll have a glance at the version update logs of ‘what’s new’ then I’ll try to use it by myself. If I’m still not clear, I’ll ask. When I’m at office, I’ll ask my young colleagues; when I’m at home, I’ll enquiry my son … Occasionally if these ways all don’t work, I’ll ask my young colleagues to teach me hand by hand, so I can mimic them to use …

5.3 Influencing Factors on ICT Use

First, this study finds that the socio-technical infrastructure development can result in the non-institutional changes on the ways of regulating how the information can be shared or exchanged, which can further influence the actors’ subjective norms.

What kinds of information do you get and share via WeChat?

From nowhere we [people in the office] have many various chat groups in WeChat. We [colleagues] share many things from routine conversations to job-related topics… in practice even some formal notices are distributed via it…I cannot say someone will necessarily miss the important information if he or she doesn’t use WeChat, given we have other channels to distribute the notices simultaneously. Nevertheless, if the majority are using it to communicate, I think it’s better to follow.

Second, the results show that the perceived value is one of the most significant motivation for interviewees to adopt ICTs, which is in accordance with the findings revealed by many prior studies [30]. However, besides the similar findings, we also identify that the perceived value may come from different sources. For example, the satisfying user experience can increase the intrinsic motivation of users; the monetary incentives can influence the extrinsic motivation of users; and the peer influence can affect both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.

What factors encourage you to use the apps in your smartphone?

The [offline] stores also usually encourage me to pay the bills by mobile payment apps, and some discount I will get then. It’s not a big number, usually from several dimes to a couple of Yuan, but better than nothing.

I feel that the apps indeed make my life be easier from many ways… so I persist in using them …sometimes [the hints] are got from the others, when I see someone else use the [certain] app and [the app] looks good, I will also try it…

Third, the interviewee’s long-term crisis awareness on technology development is another important factor for predicting middle-aged people’s ICT adoption and use. Unlike the technostress of technology, the long-term crisis awareness is individual’s positive response to technology development with potential actionable coping strategies.

The technology is developing so fast. If we don’t follow the steps [of technology’s development] from now on, we won’t catch and be accustomed to the age when we get older.

5.4 Attitude on ICT Use in the Future

It is commonly believed that older people perceive less comfort, efficacy, and control over ICT use than the younger generation. In this study, however, the middle-aged participants mostly show very positive attitudes on ICT use for the situation at present and the situation in the future. The possible explanation is that the experience of ICT use can modify the negative effects and lead to more positive attitudes [15].

Additionally, the interviews indicate the middle-aged people also hold the expectations on ageing-related customized design in the future.

Do you feel anxious about the high speed of technology development? Are you afraid of losing your control when confronted with the ever-changing societies in the future?

Not at all … Indeed, the technology changes our life a lot, but it also truly improved our life… I don’t worry about the technology in the future when I get older … I believe in that technology will always let our life be more convenient …

No anxiety from me. Even if the technology grows faster in the future, I can learn anyway, as what I did before. But not sure whether it applies to others if someone is illiterate … I believe the [system] designers will take care of older adults’ needs such as to make the fonts bigger [which is good for the older adults] …

6 Discussion

Based on the analysis, we found that the middle-aged people’s access to ICT depends on socio-technical infrastructure development, which includes the access to the hardwire devices and the exposure to the ICT-related cultural environment. The intergenerational learning plays a fundamental role in supporting middle-aged people’s ICT adoption and use. The younger generation, or called ‘digital natives’, can effectively help the middle-aged generation complete the transition as ‘digital immigrants’ and master the ICT use. Additionally, we found that middle-aged people’s ICT uses are significantly influenced by subjective norms, perceived value, and long-term crisis awareness. Furthermore, the middle-aged people report positive attitudes towards ICT use in the future, which suggests they are ready to be stepped into the ICT-facilitated ageing society in the future.

Some practical implications can be drawn from the major findings. First, the system designers can leverage the effectiveness of intergenerational learning by providing the collaborative task affordance, such as family games, to encourage the ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrants’ to work together. Second, it is important to make the older users to perceive the value. Word-of-mouth marketing strategies and monetary incentives are possible ways. Third, the system designers should take care the age-related cognitive and physical changes when doing the system development.

7 Limitation and Future Study

As a piece of exploratory research, this study contains a couple of limits. First, the qualitative research approach with the local sampling will scarify the external validity. Considering the ICT adoption and use is heavily influenced by socio-technical infrastructure, the findings discovered in Chinese context may not be generalized to different technical and cultural settings in western countries. Besides, some possible association effects (e.g. effects of information literacy on ICT use, gender effects on ICT use, etc.) were not examined in this study due to the constraint of sample size. Moreover, this study only revealed a part of the positive influencing factors on middle-aged people’s ICT adoption and use, while the more negative obstacles on middle-aged people’s ICT use remain untouched, which may be addressed in the future studies.