Older adults’ perceptions, needs, and uses of social media and messenger apps as sources of information and news

Abstract #

With the ongoing digitization of communication, older adults are increasingly integrating social media and messenger apps into their everyday information repertoires. However, fine-grained knowledge of their information use on these services remains scarce. This study investigates how older adults perceive social media and messenger apps as sources of information and news (RQ1), and what types of information they use, as well as the underlying information needs (RQ2). It reports findings from an innovative within-method qualitative interview study conducted with n = 41 German users of these services aged 60 and over. The study reveals older adults’ distinct perceptions of these services’ characteristics, such as personalization and incidental exposure, as well as their diverse information uses, extending well beyond domains like health or family. Having implications for both the reception and production of digital messages aimed at older adults, our study offers valuable insights for communication researchers and practitioners across various subfields.

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