The document discusses how generational differences influence older adults' acceptance and use of digital technologies, emphasizing the role of cognitive age and self-efficacy. It highlights how factors such as income, education, and social inequalities contribute to technology anxiety among older adults. Additionally, it references key studies that illustrate the complexity of media disparity between younger and older adults.

1. 4/26/2019 Discussion-9.docx
chrome-extension://bpmcpldpdmajfigpchkicefoigmkfalc/views/app.html 1/1
Discussion 2: Generational Differences
To Prepare for this Discussion:
Take the perspective of an older adult and consider the following three factors that might affect the degree
of acceptance and use of digital media:
By Day 4
Post at least two reasons why an older adult might/might not choose to use
digital technologies. Refer to the three factors and include scholarly resources to
support your reasoning.
Post at least two reasons why an older-adult might/might not choose to use
digital technologies. Refer to the three factors and include scholarly resources to
support your reasoning.
In terms of older adults’ perceptions of digital technologies in conjunction with cognitive age, Hong, Lui, Hahn,
Moon, and Kim (2013) believe that positive self-efficacy plays a major role in their abilities to engage positively
with digital media, and that negative self-efficacy produces technology anxiety and an unwillingly to adapt
concepts of venturousness. They theorized that although cognitive age plays a major role in older adults’ media
abilities and IT acceptances, positive outcomes depend largely on their perceived perceptions of such.
Alone these lines, Hunsaker and Hargittai (2018) emphasized that media disparity among “young-old” and their
“more mature” counterparts (e.g., older adults) include more factors than positive or negative perceived
perceptions. For example, their quantitative literature review showed income and higher education levels, social
inequalities (e.g., internet access and skills), and research, publication bias (e.g., reluctant to report findings related
to older adults) as factors related to older adults’ technology anxiety and venturousness.
References
Hong, S.-J., Lui, C. S. M., Hahn, J., Moon, J. Y., & Kim, T. G. (2013). How old are you
really? Cognitive age in technology acceptance. Decision Support Systems, 56,
122–130. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.dss.2013.05.008
Hunsaker, A., & Hargittai, E. (2018). A review of Internet use among older adults. New
Media & Society, 20(10), 3937. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohostcom.
Technology anxiety
Cognitive Age
Venturousness
Technology anxiety
Cognitive Age
Venturousness