Analysing the Engagement and Attitude of Elderly Towards Digital Platforms in India

Abstract

In present-day technology is governing the way we live and lead our life. It primarily governs our day-to-day work, quality of life, health, environment and surroundings. The use of technology has made our lives easier as almost everything around us is accessible with the use of some innovative technologies. But at the same point in time, it has made the experience little complex for the older people living in our society. As per the Ministry of Statistics, Government of India 2017, the numbers of Indians over the age of 60 years constitute almost 36 per cent of the country’s population. Considering this fact, it is imperative to be acquainted with the full picture of digital involvement of older people in the country. The research is focussed primarily on the people aged between 58 and 70 years residing in the urban locality of India. The study will use a mixed-method framework to conclude its findings. Data are collected first through a survey of 388 respondents and then interviewing some of the participants (20 participants who were also part of the survey) from different states of India. Sequential explanatory research design is used to conduct the study. Phase one is a quantitative analysis where statistical tools like Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis and regression is used to validate the proposed model. In phase two, the validated constructs of the proposed model are used to frame the discussion guide and in-depth interviews were conducted. The depth interviews further clarified and explained in more details the results derived from the quantitative study in the first stage. The purpose of this research is to identify the level of digital exclusion and also to ascertain the reasons behind the marginalization. Further, the research is also focussing on understanding the noteworthy perceptions that will be effective in creating and implementing strategies for digital inclusion and engagement of the elderly in India. The results (both quantitative and qualitative study) established the influence of perceived usefulness, ease of use, risk and anxiety on the engagement and hence generating an attitude towards adoption.

Keywords

Elderly Internet Internet usage web-based platforms technology digital platforms

Introduction

Digital Exposure starts with the acquaintance to the Internet, and it is claimed to be very much critical concerning the progressions of digital engagement (Olphert, Damodaran, & May, 2005). The Internet is depicted as the most substantial provider of information or ways to access evidence for socially debarred people (Social Exclusion Unit, 2005). There a lot of benefits associated with Internet engagements and are broadly discussed and is also denoted as the digital dividend (Brink, 2001). For individuals, these mean anything that represents quicker and faster modes of communication and enhancement of their day to day lives (Tambini, 2000). Many researchers in the past also suggested that the benefits associated with Internet engagement are not equally relished by all affiliates of society (Mason, 2003). Instead, it is found that some individual or people in a particular age group are less exposed to the Internet and the digital world. Therefore, they are less likely to gain the apparent benefit from such engagement which ultimately results in a gap referred to as the digital divide. The term digital divide denotes the difference between the individual and societies that own, access and efficiently use the information and technologies and those who do not (BECTA, 2001). The digital divide does exist in our society too, and the focus of the research paper revolves around the same. As per the Elderly in India, Report (Ministry of Statistics, 2016) the number of the citizen of the age of 60 jumped 35.5 per cent from 76 million (5.6 per cent of the population) in 2001 to 103 million (8.6 per cent of the population) in 2011. According to the official population projection, the number of elderly persons will rise to approximately 140 million by 2021. As per the statistics revealed by (Global Web Index, 2017), the distribution of Internet users worldwide within and between the age group of 55–64 is 19.8 per cent, and India’s share in the same is less than 3 per cent. The proportion of the elderly population is projected to increase substantially, but their exposure regarding Internet usage or exposure to any other digital platforms is not at all showing any substantial growth. Considering the different facts on labelling the old age, the Government of India adopted ‘National Policy on Older Persons’ in January 1999. The policy defines ‘senior citizen’ or ‘elderly’ as a person who is of age 60 years or above. Also, as per the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, senior citizen means any person being a citizen of India, who has attained the age of 60 years or above.

The policymakers at present are emphasizing more and more on the usage of digital platforms through policies like Digital India which is intended to ensure that the society gets the benefit of the digital services. But these initiatives can’t be fulfilled with the increasing gap of the digital divide we have. Hence it is imperative to realize the reasons for the difference so that the risks of increasing the digital divide can be taken care off. The present paper is an attempt by the researcher to gauge the digital exposure of the elderly population who are digitally excluded (access, affordability and knowledge) and the digitally dismissive (low interest and use).

The flow of the report is as follows: literature review helped draw the independent and dependent variables (DV) from the related theoretical concepts. These variables were projected in a proposed model reflecting the research objectives. The section on methodology draws out the research design implemented. It also highlights the direction of the data analysis and the tools used to analyse the data. The data analysis section exhibits and compares the results with existing literature. The contribution to the theory and practice highlights the proposed addition to the knowledge in the area. Future scope and limitations pave the way for additional research in this area.

Literature Review

The senior citizens comprise almost 8.6 per cent of the country’s population and less than 3 per cent as per records are Internet users (Statista, 2017). The low usage rate and lower exposure to the Internet among older people are not only relevant in our country, but it seems to be global phenomena (Kumar, 2004). There are ranges of concerns that affect the usage of the Internet by elder people or senior citizen and also there exist a digital demographic divide (Bucy, 2000). Researchers in the past have talked about the exposure and constraints faced by older adults while using web-based platforms (Helsper & Reisdorf, 2013; Loos, 2012). They are collated to understand the circumstances that might be significant in the current research context. Concepts like perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived risk (PR) and anxiety (AN) have been found considerably affecting the Internet adoption and engagement of elderly in the past literature. These perceptions are likewise reviewed and discussed in detail in this research to gain an in-depth understanding of the current situation.

Perceived Usefulness

There are several past researchers who have emphasized the use of web-based platforms and how senior citizens are using these platforms as leisure, fun and for day-to-day activity. It was discussed in pieces of research, how the senior citizen uses the Internet as a substitute for spending more time with it and exploring it (Chen & Wellman, 2005; Dimaggio, Hargittai, Celeste, & Shafer, 2004; Van Deursen & Van Dijk, 2014). Since at older age people have limited mobility out-of-home due to deteriorating physical condition, this allows them to explore more time on the Internet which also concludes that older people were keen to use the Internet replacing out-of-home activities (Qualter et al., 2015). To increase their awareness of the digital and web-based platforms classes are also introduced to teach older people how to use computers and the Internet (Frisch, Camerini, Diviani, & Schulz, 2012). The most widely done activity on the Internet among the elder people aged between 55 and 64 is email (Pastore, 2001). The second activity that elderly do online is search on health-related topics (Hesse, Moser, & Rutten, 2010). They also use the Internet to use search engines to research particular issues of their interests (Gerver, 2000). Reading news and current events, searching for travel information and weather information are also some other ways of engaging with the Internet (Blit-Cohen & Litwin, 2004). Some of the researchers also suggest that seniors also visit gaming websites for fun (Helsper, 2012; Looker & Naylor, 2010; Witte & Mannon, 2010). Majority of them initiated the use of Internet-based platforms at the urging of relatives or friends who were staying away far and wanted to keep in touch with them (Polyak, 2000). Researchers also supported the fact that seniors who have a more optimistic outlook towards Internet (concerning convenient to use and proficient) find the Internet to be very worthwhile to buy online and also to do comparison-shopping online (Iyer & Eastman, 2006).

Perceived Ease of Use

According to Wagner, Hassaneinm, and Head (2010), elderly people who do not use the Internet avoid it owing to an aversion towards technology which is due to misperceptions thinking that the Internet is difficult to use. Additional concerns are the privacy and security of online activities (Pastore, 2001). Iyer and Eastman (2006) supported with fact that the elderly are more willing to use the Internet once they find it easy to use and access. Nayak, Priest, and White (2010) specified that the ease of accessing the web-based platforms indirectly influences the attitude toward the intention to use the web-based platforms. It was also evident from varied experiences in the past that people become increasingly comfortable with technologies the more they use them. This tendency also holds true in the case of elderly consumers’ usage of the Internet as well. It is conceivable that the more the elderly use the Internet, the more they will get familiar with it. Furthermore, it was also cited that convenience while accessing even impact the use of the Internet as most of the websites are not designed keeping older people in mind (Saranow, 2004). Thus PEOU is identified as a key element in the emergence of Internet use by elderly (McCloskey, 2006; Pan & Jordan-Marsh, 2010).

Perceived Risk

In addition to usefulness and ease of use with the web-based platforms, trust is a crucial factor that plays an important role in people’s mind. The degree of comfort on Internet-based purchases or transactions is fully reliant on trust (McCloskey, 2006). Trust governs the relationships and as consumers get familiar with the Internet-based platforms, the trust tends to increase (Hill, Beynon-Davies, & Williams, 2008). It is not at all surprising that lack of trust actually has been one of the most prevalent reasons for not accessing the Internet. It is well-documented by past researchers that, unfortunately, older consumers have been an easy victim of financial fraud (Leppel & McCloskey, 2011). The notion of trust is straight away connected with PR. The Internet is affected by the apprehensions of the PR involved (Rock et al., 2010). PR is well defined as a feeling of uncertainty and possible adverse consequences about some future event. Miskelly (2001) acknowledged the loss of purchaser information over the Internet as an important type of risk. It is also studied that if a consumer is familiar and feels comfortable with a given stimulus; they are less likely to associate the risk with that stimulus (Nayak et al., 2010). Thus familiarity helps in reducing the AN and risk that consumers perceive about digital platforms. Now it is quite logical to gain a clear understanding of the fact that older people actually find Internet or digital platforms risky because of lack of experience and familiarity with these platforms. Subsequently, the elderly can be reasonably concerned for the security of their personal and financial information when using new and unfamiliar technology, on the digital platforms. Other thing that also affects the PR is their inability to physically examine the product they are looking for, inability to monitor the safety and security of their personal and financial information and concerns regarding receiving wrong products, service or information (Boström, Kjellström, & Björklund, 2013; Caine, Fisk, & Rogers, 2006; Magnusson & Hanson, 2003; Miskelly, 2001; Petersson, Lilja, & Borell, 2012). Shim, Eastwick, Lotz, and Warrington (2001) found that satisfactory outcomes of Internet browsing experience are because the past experience of the consumers is satisfactory which actually reduced the risk. Weber and Roehl (1999) determined that negative or disappointing experiences online actually leads to reluctance in engaging in the future, presumably because of increased risk perception.

Anxiety

With growing age, the elderly do face difficulty in accessing the new technology which creates AN and hindrance in their mind for the same. Joseph (2005) discussed broadly on the root-cause behind non-usage of Internet among the elderly. They clearly emphasized on facts as why do computers remain alien for the elderly. An online phobia is one such thing which eventually creates a hindrance in their mind and a perception that the Internet will be difficult to use. The idea behind such perception is because they cannot relate to computers and Internet as it was not present at that time when they grew up, so there is no familiarity and hence result in a mental blockage (Zillien & Hargittai, 2009). They did not have the chance to get familiarized with that in their school or workplace thus they are more cautious and sceptical on the use of the same. As a result, older people are more cautious while handling the Internet (Allardice, 2001). They try to read all the information given on the web very carefully and do a lot of network pondering even before clicking on a link (Daulerio, 2001). Pop-ups, online advertisements and messages make elder people more nervous and anxious (Saranow, 2004). For older people who had initiated to learn about computers and also deal with various age-related problems such as eye-sight problem, memory and movement problem, their difficulty and anxiousness increases with the complexity in the websites (Saranow, 2004). The seniors find it difficult in those cases when the sites feature small font texts, hyperlinks, multiple overlapping windows and also layers of information which is difficult to navigate (Pepper, 2002). With growing age, these issues further aggravate the computer experience to bitter experience (Pepper, 2002). The problematic experience while browsing and accessing the Internet creates a lot of AN and builds a pessimistic approach and attitude towards the technology (Beckers, Schmidt, & Wicherts, 2008; Czaja et al., 2006).

Engagement on Web-Based Platforms

Conceptualization of engagement is challenging. In this study, engagement is conceptualized in line with Calder, Issac, and Malthouse (2016) as a ‘multilevel, multidimensional construct that emerges from the thoughts and feelings about one or more rich experiences involved in reaching a personal goal’ (p. 40). So basically the notion of engagement is manifested through diverse experiences (Calder, Malthouse, & Schaedel, 2009). Following the lead of Calder et al. (2016), it was also discussed that engagement is very much context specific and it varies across contexts. In the current study, context is the enabling environment which enriches the experience of the usage specifically focussed on the web-based platforms as a medium. The experiences are comprised of engagement that is defined as the emotional, intuitive experiences or perceptions that people undergo when using a particular medium at a particular moment. These experiences can be multidimensional, such as satisfying the need to find useful information, fill empty moments, and do or share something with others (Broner et al., 2006; Calder et al., 2016; Malthouse, Calder, & Tamhane, 2007). Therefore, the term engagement with the web-based platform in this context actually refers to the specific experiences during an actual consumption moment and the platform-specific engagement with these experiences (Calder et al., 2016). Many studies conducted earlier discussed on identifying the kinds of experiences that structure the engagement or can explain the usage better such as information, transportation, interaction, identification and pastime (Broner & Neijens, 2006; Malthouse et al., 2007). There are studies on engagement experiences with social media in general or on one specific social media platform (Gironda & Korgaonkar, 2014; Muntinga, Moorman, & Smit, 2011). Regardless of the lack of studies that can directly associate with Internet or web-based platforms, we assume that people actively use and engage with the various web-based platforms due to the unique characteristics that each offers in terms of functionalities, interface and content.

Adoption of Web-based Platforms

Elderly are not very keen on adopting or using new technologies because primarily they are not in a position to handle technologies and also are not willing to ask for help if something did not work as planned (Brown, 2008). Eckhardt, Laumer, and Weitzel (2009) investigated the social influence on the adoption of technology and the social influences impact the person who refuses to adopt a technology. Laumer, Maier, and Eckhardt (2010) worked on the constructs of Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and disclosed a significant negative correlation between an individual’s personality and the TRA constructs. He further explained that people who are not keen on the use or adoption of these technology-based platforms are losing touch with the social contacts thus creating a digital divide in the first level. The phenomena of the digital divide are not only restricted to access to the Internet, in fact in recent time the focus has shifted to age, income, gender, residence, education and the influence of all of these on the non-usage or adoption (Hargittai, 2002). Apart from these reasons that strongly influence the non-adoption, the researchers also investigated the ability to handle the web-based platforms effectively and efficiently which is identified as the second level of Digital Divide or Digital Inequality. The difficulties faced by elderly with respect to the adoption of Internet-based platform and technologies are discussed by several researchers where privacy issues, interface issues and complex technological issues are the primary concern. For elderly another important hindrance towards the adoption of technology is also the reluctance to change their habitual daily routine with some new thing (Venkatesh, 2008). In the present scenario, the adoption of web-based platform is also trending a bit among the elderly people because they now try to maintain their status quo through welcoming new innovation and technology which is changing the day-to-day life significantly. Thus the context of inherent attitude towards adoption is prominent and acknowledged well by the researcher (Kim & Kankanhalli, 2009).

The above discussion helps us establish the usage, constraints, engagement and barriers of the Internet adoption by the elder generation. Although it is very much possible to understand and identify a few of the reasons behind the detachment from the web or digital platforms, these are very surface understandings. The most significant fact that also ascended out of literature is that the Internet disengagement studies are also from western context and there exists a gap in relating the same to our context. Further, the research work undertaken will also gauge policies like Digital India which is intended to create a digitally empowered society through universal digital literacy. The present work is an attempt by the researcher to understand the digital engagement and attitude of the elderly population who are digitally excluded (access, affordability and knowledge) and the digitally dismissive (low interest and use). This will ensure that society gets the benefit of digital services support and will provide a profound analysis of this phenomenon.

Existing Theories and Models

Several models and concepts are there which deals with technology its adoption and use of technology. Few of them are the TAM model which deals with technology adoption and acceptance (Davis, 1986). Some other accepted models are ‘Combined Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour and Model’ (Taylor & Todd, 1995), Model of PC Utilization (Thompson, 1991) and Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986). The Theory of Planned Behaviour by Ajzen (1985) is used by a lot of researchers to understand the approval and adoption of various technologies (Mathieson, 1991). The suitable concepts that are relevant to each model and theories are collated and are represented in Table A1. In light of the above discussion, the study aims at deconstructing Internet usage from the point of view of constructs adopted from existing models and theories.

Proposed Framework

The literature review helped the researcher to identify the variables which are structured to form a model reflecting the investigation. PU, PEOU, PR and AN were identified as the independent variables (IV) and Engagement (EG) and Attitude (AT) towards the digital platforms or technology were the DV. The proposed model (Figure 1) is intended to assess the argument that PU, PEOU, PR and AN actually stimulus the engagement on digital platforms which impacts the attitude towards technology and hence the adoption.

Hypothesis

H1: Perceived Usefulness has a significant influence on the engagement of the elderly on Web-based platforms

H2: Perceived Risk has a significant influence on the engagement of the elderly on Web-based platforms

H3: Perceived Ease of Use has a significant influence on the engagement of the elderly on Web-based platforms

H4: Anxiety has a significant influence on the engagement of the elderly on Web-based platforms

H5: Engagement on Web-based platforms has a significant impact on the attitude towards Web-based platforms

H6: Attitude towards Web-based platforms has a significant impact on the adoption of Web-based platforms

H7: Engagement and attitude towards web-based platforms mediate the relationship between PU, PR, PEOU, AN and Adoption of web-based platforms

Figure 1.

Source: The author.

Methodology

This segment provides a broader outline used to accomplish the research. Sequential Explanatory research design (Creswell, 2009) is used to conclude the process of decision-making. The data is gathered in two phases. Phase one is a survey where responses are gathered through a structured questionnaire. The phase two of the research includes in-depth interviews with some of the respondents interviewed in phase one, who were communicated about further conversations and also agreed to be part of the process. The participants’ responses are collected by interviewing them personally or through a telephonic call. The target group considered for the present study are people aged within 58–70 years residing in the urban locality in India, and as an individual have some experiences or no experience with the Internet or World Wide Web. The considered numbers of samples are gathered from across different states in India from the significant clusters. The clusters were formed based on the statistics provided by the Government of India (Government of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 2017). The states are classified into two major groups. Cluster one comprises states with a high share of the aging population (Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh) and Cluster two with the low sharing of the aging population (Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim). The participants selected through convenience and snowball sampling.

Sample Size

For phase one an online sample size calculator is used to determine the sample size under 5 per cent confidence interval and a 95 per cent confidence level assuming the elderly population to be 36 per cent of the current population. Under these conditions, the estimated sample size came as 384. Further, because the samples were gathered from far off places, a sample size of 450 was targeted to be on the safe side. For Phase two efforts were made to connect with 40 interviewees requesting their participation.

Participants Profile

The participants congregated into two groups based on their age:

61 per cent of the participants are between 58 and 65 years

39 per cent are between 65 and 70 years

The data distribution by gender indicates 53 per cent of male and 47 per cent of the female.

Data Collection

The data was collected in October 2018–January 2019. The gender-wise grouping of respondents was not done as it was not the intended research objectives. The demographic filter was only based on age. Anyone belonging to the considered age group is taken for the gathering responses. A duly framed structured questionnaire is inducted to the respondents to accomplish the survey of phase one from the sampled states. In total, the survey was administered to 450 respondents out of which 395 completed the study. Further 388 responses had been given as usable, complete data and can be considered for final analysis in the study. The overall response rate is 86.2 per cent.

For phase two although efforts were made to connect with 40 interviewees requesting their participation, through constant follow-ups, only 20 interviews got accomplished. The meetings happened with interviewees preferred time and convenience and the duration ranged from forty minutes to an hour. The respondents were given sufficient time to respond to the survey.

Data Analysis and Results

Phase One—Quantitative Survey

The first phase of the research was conducted using a survey method. A structured questionnaire was administered (both online and offline) among the respondents within the age group of 58–70 years. As per the report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) (2018), the average life expectancy in India is 68.8 years so the upper limit of the age is deliberated with that thought. The respondents are from the clustered states with a high share of the aging population (Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh) and with the low sharing of the aging population (Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim).

Reliability and Validity

The items in the questionnaire are tested through Cronbach’s alpha test to check the reliability of each the items. Higher alpha values (more than 0.7) indicate that the constructs are reliable and are evaluating the basic concept of research (Churchill, 1979). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess scale validity. The KMO value was 0.801 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant at a p-value of 0.000. KMO and Bartlett’s test of sphericity justified the feasibility of factor analysis. The factor loading of each item is above 0.60 and hence acceptable (Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson, & Tatham, 2006). The result of Cronbach’s alpha and factor loading are exhibited in Table A1 (in Appendix). To test the multicollinearity among the variables, variance inflation factor values (VIF) were observed. The maximum VIF value observed was 1.36, indicating no issues of multicollinearity.

Common Method Bias (CMB)

The researcher used a structured questionnaire for gathering responses. Hence the researcher intended to ensure the nonappearance of CMB. This is done through Harman’s single factor test. The items of the questionnaire are loaded on a single factor without rotation in exploratory factor analysis. The single factor considered accounted for a variance of 17.037 per cent thus negating the effect of CMB.

Multiple Regression Analysis

Multiple regression analysis is used to test the hypothesis framed. The first step in the regression analysis is carried out to understand the impact of PU, PEOU, PR and AN on the Engagement of Elderly on web-based platforms (EG). Further, the influence of PU, PEOU, AN, PR and EG was observed on the Attitude of the Elderly (AT) towards Digital platforms. Finally, the impact of PU, PEOU, AN, PR, EG and AT on the Adoption of the web-based platforms (ADWP). The results of the regression model with the R square value and significant values are exhibited in Table A2 (in Appendix).

Mediation Analysis

The researcher proposed to understand whether Engagement on web-based platforms (EG) and Attitude towards web-based platforms (AT) mediate the relationship between the independent variables PU, PR, PEOU and AN and the dependent variable Adoption of Web-based Platforms (ADWP). The researcher implemented Hayes (2009) Process tool (Model 6) to understand the mediation effect of EG and AT between the IV PU, PR, PEOU and AN and DV ADWP.

The results of the analysis depict that there is an indirect effect of PU on ADWP which shows a significant relationship with a beta value of 0.3795 and p-value of 0.000. The absence of zero value between the lower-level confidence interval LLCI (0.2718) and upper-level confidence interval ULCI (0.4872) confirmed the mediation effect.

Similarly, the indirect effect of PR on ADWP is significant with beta value 0.1958 and p-value 0.0004. The absence of zero value between the lower-level confidence interval LLCI (0.0606) and upper-level confidence interval ULCI (0.3310) confirmed the mediation effect.

The indirect effect of PEOU on ADWP is significant with beta value 0.3425 and p-value 0.0000. The absence of zero value between the lower-level confidence interval LLCI (0.1260) and upper-level confidence interval ULCI (0.7121) confirmed the mediation effect. Also, the indirect effect of AN on ADWP is significant with beta value 0.1636 and p-value 0.0012. The absence of zero value between the lower-level confidence interval LLCI (0.2619) and upper-level confidence interval ULCI (0.4762) confirmed the mediation effect.

Thus the result of the detailed analysis concludes that EG and AT mediate the relationship between PU, PR, PEOU, AN and Adoption of web-based platforms.

Phase – II—In-depth Interviews

The phase two of the research includes in-depth interviews with some of the respondents interviewed in phase one, who were communicated about further conversations and also agreed to be part of the process. Efforts were made to connect with 40 interviewees requesting their participation, but through constant follow-ups, only 20 interviews got accomplished. The meetings happened with interviewees preferred time and convenience and the duration ranged from forty minutes to an hour.

The discussion broadly revolved around the variables identified and validated through the quantitative analysis in the framework above (Figure 1). The interview data were considered on the thoughts of Grounded Theory (Glasser & Strauss, 1967) which means that the investigation involves open coding. This had involved continuous deliberation of the research data and then organising the content into some critical themes. The in-depth interviews lead to exploration in the current situation and comprehended the point of view of the elderly towards the growing digital engagements. The following section of the research had stretched on the variables developed in the framework (Figure 1) above and had further established the validity through the findings in the qualitative study.

The older people are proactive towards adopting new thing in their lives when it is easy to handle, or it is convenient. It was evident from the interviews that the adoption is faster when they perceive the same as quickly manageable. The adoption and the engagement with the Internet happened because they find some of the applications as well as these platforms easy to handle. It is also very much essential to understand the fact that with growing age they cannot control much of complications.

Usefulness is something which definitely affects their attitude and engagement. Some of them are clueless about the productivity of using these platforms while some are happy and acknowledge the fact that the Internet has made their life easier and faster. The interviewees are apparently of the view that the Internet or Internet-based platforms are of great use. They consider that utility of the platform is a prime factor as according to them if something is not useful, it is not worth investing their time in learning. The usefulness of the platforms comes across in the form of using this as a source of entertainment, for daily activities like shopping, booking tickets, ordering food, searching information, emailing, etc. But few of them still believe that these platforms are of no use and they are happy doing their work and spending their time with the family and friends rather than browsing the Internet. When probed further on their unenthusiastic approach they clearly mentioned that they find it difficult to handle and can’t deal with the complexity of the platforms. Also, they don’t trust these platforms and find them riskier. This is one of the most critical perspectives which affect the adoption. The older generation still feels it very risky to do any transaction or operation through Internet (exhibited in Table A3 in Appendix). The exploration further revealed the facts that the elderly Internet users are keen to participate in only those activities which are more individually pertinent such as email, learning recipe, seeking information. The relevance gets less when it comes to online transactions.

A few participants still believe that involving with Internet or digital platform is a waste of time. They are firm in the opinion of doing their work. They consider that sitting in one place and browsing for hours is not something idealistic at this age for their health. Also looking into the screens is also not good for their eyes. Few of the discussion excerpts are exhibited in Table A3 (in Appendix) will help us to understand the same. Also, since most of them are retired person, so they explicitly mention that there is no such constraint of time. They believe that the use of the Internet is done only for chatting, video-calling and shopping. While there is also another point that emerged from the discussion which is, with growing age some of them find it very difficult to handle the Internet or a smartphone.

Thus it is evident from the conversation above that although some are interested in learning they find it difficult to handle and others are not aware of the benefits and the convenience attached to these platforms.

Discussion

The study was conducted in two phases where the first phase was a quantitative survey and the second phase included a few in-depth interviews to get a concrete understanding of the subject. The literature reviewed above helped in identifying the constructs. Each of the constructs was deliberated thoroughly to apprehend its implication in the study. In the first phase of the study, hypothesis was framed which was eventually tested through statistical analysis using SPSS. Multiple Regression Analysis is used to test the hypothesis and also the mediation effect of the constructs under the study is tested. Hypotheses 1, 2, 3 and 4 tested and confirmed the significant influence of PU, PR, PEOU and AN on the Engagement of elderly on web-based platforms (EG). Hypothesis 5 confirmed the significant influence of EG on the AT towards web-based platforms and finally hypothesis 6 tested and validated the significant impact of AT towards web-based platforms on the ADWBP.

Hypothesis 7 was tested to observe the mediating effect of EG and AT between the independent and DV. The results methodically established the mediating effect of EG and AT between PU, PR, PEOU and AN and the DV ADWP hence validating the proposed framework. Thus this phase of the study clearly validated and supported the proposed framework (Figure 1) through quantitative techniques and gave a clear picture to understand the digital divide among the elderly in the Indian context.

Phase two was an in-depth interview with a few participants who were also an active part in the phase one survey. The participants considered in this phase were probed further to gain an in-depth understanding of the validated constructs. It is concluded that the ease of use, usefulness, trust or risk and anxiety that have emerged in the proposed validated model also holds true when delved deeply. All of these have a more profound impact on the engagement and attitude towards Internet adoption. The digital divide is shaped primarily with the notion of non-acceptance or very partial acceptance of technology or technology-based platforms. This is due to reasons or factors like risk, usefulness and difficulty in handling. These perceptions create a negative attitude and hinder the first level of engagement and hence there is non-adoption. If the perception towards the platforms is positive, then there are frequent engagements with web-based platforms which eventually generate confidence and hence adoption. The elderly are more attracted and actively engaged with these platforms when they are comfortable, familiar and find it as relevant or useful. The familiarity drives engagement and builds confidence and hence creates the attitude towards the adoption of the technology. Subsequently, they are also sceptical with the trusting these platforms fully and hence a limited exposure to these platforms. It also came out that some of them actually engage actively with Internet-based platforms but some doesn’t consider it to be important due to difficulty and complexity associated with these platforms and hence use only when there is a necessity or any obligation.

Conclusion

Engagement and Adoption of technology enrich the quality of our day-to-day life and it is also true for the life of the older people. Right from managing their finances, getting medicines, booking a cab, getting a doctor’s appointment, planning some travel, paying utility bills, money transfer, government transactions like pensions, etc. all these daily needy tasks can be done with the click of a button. The engagement and adoption of technology or web-based platforms are not only necessary to stay in touch with friends, family or relatives but more importantly, it is necessary for managing our daily lives. As per Government of India statistics, 2017, the elderly comprises 36 per cent of the country’s population. Also as per World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) report, due to availability of superior quality health and medical facilities the average life expectancy rate has also improved from 60 years in 2005 to 69 years. The increase in life expectancy and also a remarkable increase in dependency towards digital platforms in our day-to-day life are creating a bit of challenge for these elderly. The study highlighted the existence of the digital divide in our society. The digital divide that exists is of two types—one is where there is a problem of access and other is where the elderly are unenthusiastic to use these web-based platforms.

The researcher in this study tried to conceptualise through some findings whether the digital divide is due to lack of access or due to some inhibitions or pre-conceived notions. The projected model (Figure 1) reasonably fits in the Indian context which concludes that the variables like the PU, PEOU, risk and anxiety are significant and considerably influence the overall construct of right attitude towards a fruitful Internet engagement and adoption. It was very clear from the proposed model (Figure 1) that adoption of technology or any web-based platforms will only happen when the older adults will perceive the usefulness of the Internet and they will access or will engage with it. The PU and ease of use actually builds a lot of confidence in them. If the platform is easy to use and access then, it creates a positive impact on the attitude of Internet usage. If the same is little complex while accessing, it increases the anxiety and creates a negative attitude. Attitude (either positive or negative) plays an essential role in the adoption of digital-based platforms. The attitude of acceptance of the digital or web-based platforms will only happen when there is lesser anxiety, and they perceive these platforms as useful and hence will engage more. With growing age, older people tend to get more anxious, and they altogether abandon themselves from the activity considering and depicting the same as useless. The other variable that emerged strongly out of the study is trust. The elderly actually don’t trust these platforms and consider it to be risky (because of lack of familiarity) which also evident when digging deeply during the in-depth study. Now all of this is actually acting as a hindrance to engagement with technology or web-based platforms which led to a pessimistic attitude and hence no adoption. This will eventually lead to a social disconnect of this cohort of elderly people with others in society. So it is very much essential to expose the current cohort of older adults towards the digital platforms to ease their daily lives as future cohorts of older people has been more exposed to these platforms in many ways in their daily lives either in their home, workplace or their institutions. These findings allow us to acknowledge the fact that digital prohibition is not an impermanent phenomenon instead it is likely to be reversed and come back again with the current cohort as there always exists a gap in the policy level while implementing. So the policymakers should understand the fact that the task is not to increase the penetration of Internet or digital platforms rather they should emphasize more on encouraging and training people on the usage and adoption of these platforms. In present day, although we talk about digital exclusion, we somehow lack in understanding the constraints faced by the elderly. In future, a more cautious step of recognising the limitations and working towards eliminating the barriers before implementing any policies will be worth considering for this section of people as they also constitute a significant portion of our society.

Contribution to Theory

The researcher through this study tried to investigate the digital exclusion of the elderly in India. This is a comprehensive study specifically in the Indian context which was missing. Although a lot of studies had discussed the digital exclusion of older adults it was more on the western context. The researcher also through this study validated variables like PU, ease of use, risk, attitude, engagement and adoption under the given condition. There are studies in past where individually these constructs were established and validated as crucial for the adoption of the Internet by elder generation but none of the studies have actually looked into the influence of engagement and attitude on the adoption of the Internet. Additionally, the study also established the mediating effect of engagement and attitude between adoption and PU, PR, PEOU and AN. The results help to establish the crucial role of PU, PR, PEOU and AN with engagement on web-based platforms and hence generating an attitude of adoption. The adoption of the Internet or web-based platforms will not happen directly because the platform is useful, easy and trustworthy rather despite all of these the elderly have to first engage with it to generate a positive attitude to then moving ahead with adoption.

Managerial Implication for Practice

Technology-and digital-based platforms are an inherent part of our life and the focus of marketers is specifically youth-driven when it comes to introducing some technological innovation in the market. For managers or marketers, the results of the study have several implications. Since the study validated the fact that engagement and attitude had a mediating effect on adoption of technology or technology-based platform, the managers should strategically devise some steps to ease the technologically based platforms for the elderly. They should seriously take into account the fact that although the market is youth-driven, the society also comprises the decent number of elderly people who are sceptical or resilient in associating themselves with the digital disruption. This attitude is developed due to difficulty and the complexity they face while engaging with these platforms. The marketers or managers can think of devising separate elderly friendly web-based platforms where their needs were taken into account and catered accordingly. The marketers have never significantly looked at the section of the elderly as their potential consumers. With the rapid penetration of Internet and smartphones, business through web-based platforms and applications are also proliferating, there lies immense potentialities if they explore the need and requirements of older people. With increasing age when eventually the mobility reduces, the dependency on reliable sources is high. These platforms can act as a dependable substitute and the managers, or the marketers can optimally utilize the situation to cater to the diverse needs of the senior citizens. This will boost their confidence and will create a positive impact on their attitude. If the adoption of a web-based platform is increased the social isolation which is happening will also end and they will very much feel connected with society. So along with the youth and middle age populations, marketers can also target the unexplored space of senior citizens and support them by providing suitable services which will simplify their daily lives needs in the era of technology. This is an unexplored territory where there is a tremendous prospect to furnish the needs of the elderly in their daily lives through technology. This can be taken into serious consideration in the future to ease the life of the elderly in today’s digital era and hence developing an inclusive and sustainable society.

Limitations and Future Scope

The first limitation is that the study is that it happened in urban India, so it is not possible to give a clear picture of digital dis-engagement in the rural areas which might be even higher due to lack of basic facilities and exposure. Future research can be directed to understand even the rural areas where the difficulties and constraints faced by the seniors will emerge. The other significant limitation is that the study has not dealt with gender. So in future gender can also be considered as an important variable in the proposed framework (Figure 1) and the role of gender in the adoption of technology can be studied further. The participant size for the in-depth interviews was also a limitation which can be increased to have a more in-depth understanding. Finally, samples/respondents were only considered from states with high and low sharing aging population where the literacy levels of the considered states are on the higher side. The future study can also consider the states with low literacy level to understand whether literacy is having an impact on the findings of the study. Thus the existing research will actually open a lot of avenues for future research in this area in the Indian context.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Appendix

Table A3.

In-Depth Interviews Themes and Excerpts

S.No.	Discussion Excerpts	Identified Themes/Fitted Constructs
1.	a. I can do my things quickly on my own [using the Internet] after my grandson taught me and now I am happy that I save a lot of time. b. The apps are easy to handle and are convenient. c. We make our bookings [using the Internet] now, and it is easily manageable. d. It is easy to connect with my family staying abroad, and I can talk and chat with them. I can also see the pictures they send on their current trip.	Perceived Ease of Use
2.	a. I have to give a talk on the benefits of yoga and meditation techniques, and I used the Internet to get the information. There are a lot of things that I found [on the Internet] which you don’t see otherwise. b. I can use it for multiple tasks such as ordering food when my wife is not at home, to order something online, book my cab, search for some address or location, etc. c. I can email my friends and my daughter staying abroad. d. I don’t think I am interested in the Internet as I stay with my family and they take care of my needs whatever is required. e. There are so many things that I can do; I got to learn new recipes from the Internet and also different ways to decorate the home, which I try when I invite my friends and neighbours. f. I don’t want to waste my time sitting in one place and browsing the Internet. g. I can go for a walk and pick up things from the market to be seeing and bargaining the price, so I don’t need to buy stuff online. There I also meet my friends. So I don’t need the Internet to connect with my friends and shopping online.	Perceived Usefulness
3.	a. I am little reluctant to purchase or shop online as you have to put in your bank details. b. The bank keeps on insisting on using online mode of a transaction, but I still feel it is safer to go to the bank personally and do the work on your own rather than doing online transaction. c. It is risky to pay the bills using debit cards or credit cards as there can be a forgery and it happened with some of my friends. d. I cannot trust on the products shown online as I cannot touch and feel the product so I never shop online, although I love to explore and check the prices but no transaction online.	Perceived Risk
4.	a. It is complicated, the buttons are difficult to remember, and they roll over everywhere. b. I don’t want to learn so many things as I have weaker eyesight and now cannot remember so many instructions. c. I started learning to email but you spend so much time in typing, cleaning and making it neat and suddenly it is gone from the screen.	Complexity in handling

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