Warm experts for elderly users : who are they and what do they do?
Olsson, T. & Viscovi, D. (2018). Warm experts for elderly users : who are they and what do they do? Human Technology, 14 (3), 324-342. doi:10.17011/ht/urn.201811224836
Published in
Human TechnologyDate
2018Copyright
©2018 Tobias Olsson & Dino Viscovi, and the Open Science Centre, University of
Jyväskylä
This paper examines “warm experts”—that is, nonprofessional persons who
help inexperienced users come to terms with digital devices—and their significance for
the use of digital media in everyday life by elderly Swedes. We analyze data from a
national survey (N = 1264) and from qualitative, semistructured interviews with 18
elderly Swedes (aged 65+). Our data reveal that the warm expert usually is a closelyrelated
person, often a child or grandchild, who is strongly involved in nearly every
stage of technology domestication, from appropriation (i.e., identifying the need, buying
the item, and installing and adjusting it) to incorporation (i.e., choosing and
downloading suitable apps, teaching how to use them, and solving technical problems).
Although the clear majority of elderly Swedes have been online for more than a decade,
the need for continuous assistance from warm experts seems to persist also among
experienced users.
Publisher
University of JyväskyläISSN Search the Publication Forum
1795-6889Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Drivers, barriers and impacts of digitalisation in rural areas from the viewpoint of experts
Ferrari, Alessio; Bacco, Manlio; Gaber, Kirsten; Jedlitschka, Andreas; Hess, Steffen; Kaipainen, Jouni; Koltsida, Panagiota; Toli, Eleni; Brunori, Gianluca (Elsevier BV, 2022)The domain of rural areas, including rural communities, agriculture, and forestry, is going through a process of deep digital transformation. Digitalisation can have positive impacts on sustainability in terms of greater ... -
Luontoympäristön yhteydet työhyvinvointiin ja työssä suoriutumiseen : kysely-, interventio- ja haastattelututkimuksen tuloksia
Salonen, Kirsi; Hyvönen, Katriina; Määttä, Katariina; Feldt, Taru; Mauno, Saija; Muotka, Joona (Jyväskylän yliopisto, 2018) -
Domestication of a Robotic Medication-Dispensing Service Among Older People in Finnish Lapland
Airola, Ella; Rasi, Päivi (Jyväskylän Yliopisto, 2020)This paper presents a case study on a robotic medication-dispensing service used in the everyday lives of older people in Finnish Lapland through the concept of domestication. The study took an ethnographic approach. A ... -
Exploring heterogeneous ICT use among older adults : The warm experts’ perspective
Hänninen, R.; Taipale, S.; Luostari, R. (Sage Publications, 2021)In this article, we (1) examine the various forms of support required by older users (75+) of digital technology and (2) provide a concrete, everyday life rationale for why warm experts play such a pivotal role in the ... -
Heterogeneity of traditional and digital media use among older adults : A six-country comparison
Taipale, Sakari; Oinas, Tomi; Karhinen, Joonas (Elsevier, 2021)The concept of aged heterogeneity has been associated with older adults' ability to adapt to the digital age without a systematic empirical analysis. We analyse retired adults' (aged 62 or more) use of traditional media ...