Older people's experiences of online and offline communities

In this pilot study, we collaborated with researchers from the University of Sussex. Together, we considered how a small group of older people in the South of England engaged with online communities and SNS within the context of their existing relationships in local communities, highlighting motivations for online engagement and the role of family in relation to community engagement more broadly.

Project timescale

The research was conducted between June and December in 2013.

Project aims

This qualitative study sought to capture the experiences, motivations and preferences of older people in the Meridian area (the towns of Newhaven, Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs, together with the Parishes of Piddinghoe, Rodmell, Ilford, Denton and South Heighton in East Sussex) on the south coast of England. Research was conducted with older people of post-retirement age with a view to understanding their experiences of local and online forms of community within the context of their everyday lives.

Research sought to answer the following questions:

What motivations exist at a local community level for older people to engage with social networking sites (SNS) and other forms of online community?
How do older people’s experiences and expectations of local community influence their attitude towards online communities?
How does socioemotional selectivity play a part in participants’ interest in online communities?
What are the different routes taken to engagement with local and online communities, and are there identifiable trajectories which are commonly taken?

Project findings and impact

This project has taken a participatory approach throughout, involving and consulting participants and community groups as part of the research process. Ongoing relationships with these organisations have given opportunities to broaden awareness the research and to engage older people in discussions and debates.

During the project, researchers attended the Older People’s Day (1 October, 2013) at the Hillcrest Centre in Newhaven where they talked with visitors about the research, inviting a dialogue with them about online and local forms of community engagement.

Researchers were also invited to speak at Age UK Brighton and Hove’s AGM as part of their Seminar Programme (15 October, 2013). Representatives attended from other major charities and community organisations within the area as well as commissioners from Brighton and Hove City Council. In addition, the research team was invited to participate in a government briefing as part of the 2020health – Intelligence Exchange with Paul Burstow MP entitled ‘Fit for Later Life’ (6 November, 2013).

Computing-wide

Research team

Dr David Harley

Output

Full report

Trajectories to community engagement: Understanding older people’s experiences of engagement with online and local communities.

Papers

Harley, D., Howland, K., Harris, E. and Redlich, C. (2014) Online communities for older users: what can we learn from local community interactions to create social sites that work for older people. In Proceedings of British Human Computer Interaction Conference, 9-12 September 2014, Southport.

Harley, D., Howland, K., Harris, E. and Redlich, C. (2014) “Nearer to Being Characters in a Book”: How Older People Make Sense of Online Communities and Social Networking Sites. In Proceedings of 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 5-8 January 2015, Kauai, USA.

Harley, D. A., Howland, K., & Harris, E. C. (2016) Trajectories to community engagement: Understanding older people’s experiences of engagement with online and local communities. The Journal of Community Informatics, 12(1).

Presentations

Harley D., Harris, E., & Howland, K. (2013) ‘Trajectories to Community Engagement: Understanding older people’s experiences of engagement with online and local communities’, Digital Practices, In/visible Communities, EPSRC Digital Transformations of Community & Culture Network+ annual meeting, Leeds, September 2013.

Harley, D. (2013) ‘Ageing, Online Community and Care’ Presented at Age UK Brighton and Hove, AGM Seminar Programme, 15 October 2013

Harley D., Harris, E., & Howland, K. (2013) ‘Trajectories to Community Engagement: Understanding older people’s experiences of engagement with online and local communities’ Presentation for the Human-Centred Technology Research Group in the Department of Informatics at Sussex University, 6 December, 2013.

Harley D., Harris, E., & Howland, K. (2013) ‘Ageing and Online Community’ Presentation for the Age and Ageing Research Group at the University of Brighton, 28 November, 2013.

Partners

Eric Harris, University of Sussex

Dr Kate Howland, University of Sussex

Meridian Mature Citizens Forum

Hillcrest Community Centre, Newhaven

DropBy (Online community)