Exploring older adults’ ICT support: A mismatch between needs and provision

Older adults’ need for motivation

The vast majority of our respondents voiced how social support and broader social networks influenced their general desire or willingness to adopt and use technology, in line with findings from previous studies (Reisdorf and Groselj, 2017; Van Dijk, 2017). Only a few respondents identified themselves as techno-enthusiasts who had always been intrinsically motivated to learn ICT. Thus, we consider motivation as an aspect of ICT use that requires support. Motivation is a kind of help that makes the Internet and devices meaningful to older adults, who may otherwise lack interest in the context of their everyday lives. Arianne (75 years), who learned to use computers 5 years ago, expresses the importance of motivation from others:

What we don’t know, we don’t miss. I couldn’t do without it now. But before . . . No . . . I think [non-users] don’t miss it either. I didn’t miss it in the past. Meanwhile, [my husband] had been using the computer for already 20 years. (Excerpt 1 – Arianne)

Arianne notes that for years, she did not feel the need to use the computer because she did not see how it could benefit her. Consistent with prior studies (Friemel, 2016; Reisdorf et al., 2016), almost all non-users in our sample refrain from using technology because they perceive it as pointless, a barrier that could be mitigated with fitting motivational support. While our respondents did not always perceive motivation as ‘support’, because they may not explicitly ask for it, they usually got into contact with digital technology through others. Respondents explain that they only started to appreciate the advantages of ICT when someone showed it to them, or when they received a device as a gift. When motivational support is successful, their interest in digital technologies may improve.

The provision of motivational support

For our respondents, family and other social ties are the main sources of motivation to adopt and use technology. Older adults may be exposed to digital technologies and inspired to use them when family members frequently utilize these technologies, providing them with the opportunity to pick up potential benefits. Older adults can also get motivated to use technology when relatives provide encouragement and reassurance, as we can see in the following excerpts by Leen (79 years), who got a computer from her brother 13 years ago, and Rosa (78 years), a former teacher whose children encouraged her to take up classes 18 years ago:

If you really don’t know anything, anything, about it, you may not feel like you need it either. I have it now, because I got a computer as a gift, but if I hadn’t . . . I wouldn’t have been open to it either. But now I’m glad, the things I do on it, that I know them and that it also has its advantages. (Excerpt 2 – Leen)

My children said, ‘mom, you don’t [have to] fear the computer, but you can’t do it without training. Because otherwise the computer will remain in control of you. You’re going to be scared because things are going to happen and you’re not going to master it’. So then I started computer classes. (Excerpt 3 – Rosa)

The family was the main reason to take up ICT for users with a low or intermediate degree of digital experience (1–20 years), excluding a few exceptions where societal changes or work were mentioned. Practised users (20+ years of experience) most commonly adopted digital technologies when it was introduced at their work, which has also been shown in prior research (König et al., 2018). While they have less need for motivational support in later life, the influence of family members to stay up to date was visible in the majority of their accounts. For example, one participant (Leanne, 76 years) mimicked how her grandchildren recently convinced her to make an Instagram account: ‘Grandma, Facebook is outdated. You should go on Instagram’.

In turn, we see that motivational support is often lacking with non-users. They usually had no exposure to technology through their work (‘I never worked and so I have never needed it’ – Chloë, 85 years) and their peers are non-users as well (‘I don’t know anyone of my age who uses it’ – Hanne, 78 years). In an exceptional case, Christiane (81 years) faces discouragement from her partner. She learned to work with a computer through her job more than 20 years ago. After retirement, she lost her main reason to use technology and soon quit completely. In the following excerpt, Christiane describes how she watches her husband perform their digital tasks:

Because I can talk about it, because I look over my husband’s shoulder. And then after a while, because I sometimes stand there with my little notebook, I say: ‘Tell me how you did that’. ‘Oh well’, he says, ‘it’s no use, tomorrow it will have changed again’ and then I lose my courage, the little courage I had left. I say: ‘Yes, come on, it’s not for me anymore’. (Excerpt 4 – Christiane)

Christiane becomes curious and asks her husband questions. When he gives discouraging answers, she tells herself it would be too hard to start again. Her account illustrates that the need for motivational support does not end after adoption. With the constantly changing nature of digital technology, older adults require ongoing motivation to adopt new technologies, learn about emerging applications and keep up with software updates. Although quitting technology use altogether is rare, there are instances where older users refrain from updating their skills due to a lack of motivation. As one respondent expressed, ‘actually learning a lot more, I don’t think so, I don’t really feel like it’ (Leen, 79 years).

In sum, older adults receive motivational support from various individuals with whom they have established long-standing social relationships. Warm experts, who understand the preferences and the situation of their older family members, are better suited to provide effective motivational support than cold experts. While a broad spectrum of relatives, including siblings, nephews, partners and grandchildren, can motivate older adults, a lack of support can have a detrimental effect on digital engagement, particularly for older adults who don’t develop an interest over time. However, motivational support is not sufficient as it only addresses one type of support need. Older adults also have to learn how to use technology, which we will further discuss in the next subsection.

Older adults’ need for instruction

Instructional support refers to the assistance older adults receive to learn how to use and command technology. For instance, Elena (67 years) has been keeping up with digital technology since it was introduced in her company 20 years ago. Although she is still motivated, she admits that she is ‘not as fast anymore because yes, that’s also scientifically proven that we don’t learn as fast anymore (laughs) so I’m going to have to accept that for myself (laughs)’. Many respondents face similar difficulties which concern a declining learning pace and, in some cases, memory loss. Therefore, respondents emphasize the need for instructional support that accommodates these learning hurdles, as Elena describes in the following excerpt:

I would convey to a teacher: ‘Be patient. A lot of patience. And don’t put yourself in a position of power over your students, but put yourself on an equal level. And yes, also recognize that sometimes it can be confusing or it can be difficult’. (Excerpt 5 – Elena)

In addition to the possibility of an age-related decline in fluid intelligence and processing speed (Bugg et al., 2006), attitudinal barriers such as anxiety and distrust with ICT can also complicate learning in later life. For those who have never used digital devices, the learning process can be particularly challenging. José (73 years old), who has been using ICT for decades, emphasizes the importance of a calm and supportive teacher who does not ridicule or belittle their students:

A calm [teacher], not someone who already starts laughing at you if you don’t know certain things, can’t do certain things. I wouldn’t want to work with someone who already starts saying ‘what, you can’t do that?’, with laughter maybe, but if you start like that . . . it’s not evident for me. (Excerpt 6 – José)

To facilitate learning new digital skills which can be hampered by age-related and mental hurdles, respondents, such as Elena and José, emphasize the need for instructional support based on understanding and patience, as previously reported by Geerts et al. (2023) and Schirmer et al. (2022).

The provision of instructional support

There were only a few respondents in our sample who claimed to be entirely self-taught, learning skills by using manuals or watching tutorials online. The majority of Internet users had experience with learning through formal settings. The practised users (20+ years of experience) mostly learned with their colleagues or attended ICT training organized by their company. While most feel capable of self-learning when needed, about half of the respondents still register for ICT training after retirement, to learn new skills (e.g. photo editing) or to keep up with software updates (e.g. switching to Windows 10). Older adults who adopted digital technology later on (0–20 years of experience) also tend to rely on formal sources rather than their family members, preferring to attend ICT classes at adult education centres or organized by senior organizations. Renée (75 years), a former teacher who started using computers 7 years after retiring, exemplifies why family members do not easily meet the need for adequate instruction:

[My son and his wife] are really involved in the whole Covid-thing, so I shouldn’t be whining about: ‘come and help me’ or ‘teach me how’. . . . And do you know what the problem is? Then one of them comes to teach me and says, ‘That’s how you do it’. Tap tap tap tap tap. Well, then I haven’t learned anything. Now [in class] I am learning by practicing. (Excerpt 7 – Renée)

Renée’s family members often don’t have the time to teach her, and when they do, they resolve the issue too quickly for her to learn to perform the task herself. This is a common reason for older adults to attend ICT classes instead (Geerts et al., 2023). However, not everyone finds their way to formal support services, which may result in unmet support needs. This point is expressed by Cornelia (76 years), who adopted digital technology a couple of years ago when talking about the digital activities she still wants to improve in:

Well, the internet, to be able to go on it and do better and also to feel safe . . . I have an iPad but I don’t know anything about that iPad. I know what my children have said. ‘You have to do that and that and that’. But not the basics. So that’s why I’m a bit scared to use it. (Excerpt 8 – Cornelia)

Cornelia’s lack of skills and confidence in using her iPad is because her children didn’t teach her the basics. In a few cases, family members of respondents offer help but are not equipped to provide proper instruction, resulting in disengagement by the older adult. This is illustrated by Sarah (85 years), who says ‘my children, yes, they want to teach me, but they never have the time’. When they quickly explained the computer to her, she soon forgot which buttons to press. When her children offered to show her again, Sarah decided she did not want to learn anymore. When older adults repeatedly ask for help, their children ‘say something like “but I explained it to you already”’ (Linda, 67 years) and ‘sometimes lose their patience’ (Didier, 67 years).

In sum, more than half of the respondents seek instructional support from formal sources, while a smaller group depends on informal support. The latter often expresses dissatisfaction about a lack of time, patience or skills from their family members. Charlotte (65 years) summarizes the struggles: ‘Children do not always have the time and interest to teach older adults. It’s like “I will do it quickly” and then they are gone’. This type of support, which involves fixing problems rather than teaching how to solve them, represents a distinct form of ICT support that we will discuss further in the next section.

Older adults’ need for technical assistance

Respondents recalled instances when they encountered technical issues with their ICTs, such as deficient printers and frozen computers. They also described moments when they needed assistance to instal new hardware, update their device or adapt to newer versions of applications. For example, Maurice (72 years), who has been working with digital technology for more than 40 years, had trouble with his email account:

So by the way, I use email on a Windows [computer], very simple. And that worked fine. And all of a sudden, it was all gone, yeah. I started it up and there was nothing coming up. The account was no longer known, so that account was completely destroyed somehow. (Excerpt 9 – Maurice)

Maurice’s experience demonstrates that even proficient users encounter problems, with him acknowledging that he ‘certainly entered something incorrectly’. Technical support is not aimed at improving digital skills but at ensuring continued use of the technology. Evidently, a helpdesk employee resolving an issue quickly does not meet the same need as an ICT instructor teaching patiently. Despite both being considered formal sources of support, their help has different aims.

The distinction is especially important for older adults. Given the challenges they face in learning new skills due to age-related learning hurdles, they are less likely to learn simply by watching others (Asmar et al., 2020). Most respondents first attempt to fix the problem themselves by looking for answers on Google or in manuals, as Christel (66 years) stresses: ‘I don’t want to give the impression that I’m actually a sucker’. The ability to self-support improves with digital experience, but due to the complexity and changing nature of today’s technology, participants of all experience levels reported occasions where they needed technical support for problems and questions.

The provision of technical support

Respondents distribute the burden of assistance between different support sources that they have access to. Whom they turn to is a matter of convenience because they often need a helping hand quickly (e.g. someone who lives close by, who has time to help), as well as the competence of the support provider (e.g. someone who can solve this problem, who is helpful). Paul (77 years), who was introduced to digital technology through his former work, describes his process for determining whom to seek assistance from:

My children are way too busy. I don’t ask it to my children. If there happens to be something . . . I recently had a question related to Excel, I could then ask my daughter and she then, she helped me very well. So when it comes to a certain software that my grandchildren don’t use, but my children do, Excel for example, I have to ask my daughter. (Excerpt 10 – Paul)

Paul alternates between his children and grandchildren, depending on the problem at hand. In our sample, adult children and grandchildren often serve as the first line of support. Other sources such as neighbours and other relatives were less common. We have found examples of technical support provided by partners, in line with the study of Marler and Hargittai (2022). While partners are readily available, there are three reasons why they are not among the most common support providers in our data. Many respondents are widowed or divorced and have no partner to rely on. In other cases, respondents have partners who do not use technology or have too little digital experience. Finally, some respondents also prefer to turn to children and grandchildren, such as Arianne (75 years) who explains: ‘I won’t ask my husband, I’ll ask my grandchildren’.

While many respondents alternate between informal options only, highly skilled older adults describe moments where they seek help from formal technical support through in-store assistance, helpdesks or computer experts. This point is expressed by Nathan (69 years), who has been using technology for more than 20 years:

[The ICT coordinator of the school where I worked] is willing to come over, because finding someone who wants to come, for, because you say ‘Well, I always get something on my computer and I can’t get rid of it or I don’t know what it is’. It doesn’t occur every day. It is one or two times that it can occur. ‘Oh, what did I do there?’. But that’s a stranger, I call that a stranger. (Excerpt 11 – Nathan)

Nathan does not have any children, so he turns to his nephew for smaller questions while occasionally relying on professional help for more extensive problems. Helsper and Van Deursen (2017) examined support quality by asking if people would still need help when similar problems occur again. However, older adults often express the need for assistance that is not aimed at learning new skills. The fact that Nathan turns to an ICT expert more than once does not mean the expert’s help is ineffective. The different results regarding technical support compared to instructional support show the importance of being specific about the type of need that spurred the support seeker to request help.

In sum, many respondents choose the most fitting provider for the situation at hand, which depends on convenience and competence. The majority of respondents turn to their children and grandchildren, while support from partners is preferred over other relatives and professionals when available. Formal sources of technical support are rarely sought by older adults, but experienced users rely on them for challenging cases.

The older adults’ need for a proxy user

Some older adults in our sample refrain from using the Internet and digital devices. In line with prior research (Asmar et al., 2020; Friemel, 2016; Neves et al., 2013) and adopting the terms used in the study by Neves et al. (2013), the main reasons we found are functional (e.g. lack of skill, effort needed to get started) and attitudinal (e.g. not motivated, computer anxiety). In our respondents’ accounts, both reasons often coincide, as evidenced by excerpts from the interviews with Gertrude (87 years) and Leander (84 years).

[I don’t use the internet] because we have no knowledge of it, too little and I don’t think we are sufficiently supported with it either. Went twice to a computer class at the town hall but after the second time I forgot what we had seen (laughs), but it doesn’t interest me either. (Excerpt 12 – Gertrude)

Oh oh kid, at my age . . . No, no I don’t think that you need to teach me Latin. Because you’re explaining all kinds of things to me and within 10 min I’ve forgotten it anyway. No . . . personally, those are things that don’t interest me anymore. (Excerpt 13 – Leander)

While Gertrude and Leander only use traditional communication technologies such as the television, the radio and a landline telephone, they have indirect access to the digital world through a member of their close social network with digital skills, which prior work referred to as ‘proxy use’ (Gallistl et al., 2021; Grošelj et al., 2022). The proxy user is responsible for performing tasks such as online banking, buying tickets, booking trips and checking public services. With services and businesses moving online, non-users have no choice but to rely on a proxy user to ensure continuous participation in society. However, if others take over digital errands for them, older adults have fewer incentives to learn to use digital devices and the Internet directly, as it is less hassle to stay a proxy user (Reisdorf et al., 2016). For example, Fabiola (89 years), who relies on her sons and a helpful neighbour, explains that ‘everything that needs to be done through the computer is done for me, so I don’t see why I should be able to do it myself’.

There are also more proficient users in our sample, who have ample experience with digital technology, but who rely on support by proxy use for specific tasks. Marler and Hargittai (2022) argue that the study of degrees of proxy use becomes more relevant as more older adults go online. Similar to non-users, users hand over specific responsibilities to proxy users mainly due to attitudinal or functional reasons. Chris (71 years), who has been using ICT since it was introduced at his work in the 1990s, gives an example:

I personally am not in favour of [online banking]. I got a bit scared back then . . . an IT specialist came to speak at work. He scared us about internet banking. That person was scared himself . . . and since then I’ve never done it. Although I can do it if I need to, if it’s really necessary. But I don’t like to do it. (Excerpt 14 – Chris)

Chris refrains from online banking because he distrusts the technology, which is an attitudinal reason for his partial disengagement. There are several accounts of users in our sample that avoid certain digital tasks because they are not motivated or too anxious to do them on their own. Others find it more convenient to rely on a proxy agent than taking the effort to learn the necessary skills themselves, a functional reason to rely on support by proxy use to a certain degree.

The provision of support by proxy use

Adult children are the most relied-on source of support by proxy use, as we can see in the next excerpt from the interview with Chloë (85 years):

I don’t go to the bank. My kids do all that. My youngest daughter has asked to her sisters like ‘do you guys think it’s okay that I do all that’ because she knows yes, she has a business and the others agreed and that’s why, those invoices that come in, I put them there. My daughter comes in, she grabs them and put them in her bag. (Excerpt 15 – Chloë)

The online banking errands that Chloë wants to delegate require a dedicated, reliable and trustworthy person who gets permission to access the account and make payments. While grandchildren are essential providers of motivational and technical support, the role of proxy agent was rarely bestowed upon them. Grandchildren, often still minors, are less suited to perform these types of tasks. In some cases, the primary assistance from the children is supplemented by help from the grandchildren or a neighbour. They are happy to take on smaller tasks, such as printing out documents or finding information online.

Another study reported the decreasing importance of (grand)children as proxy users and the newly emerging importance of spouses or partners (Grošelj et al., 2022). While almost all non-users in our sample were widowed, the few respondents with a living partner preferred to rely on support from their partner. The same goes for more experienced users who refrain from using a particular device or performing specific tasks, as we can see with Chris, whom we mentioned in excerpt 13: ‘I don’t do online banking, my wife does it’. When partners distribute responsibilities depending on their skills and interest, it has been termed ‘the division of digital labour’ (Marler and Hargittai, 2022).

In sum, older adults who need support by proxy use will look for a trustworthy person they can make arrangements with. Most often, older people turn to their adult children since the tasks are less suited for grandchildren, and most do not have a living partner. Older adults underline how grateful they are for the support received. However, performing digital tasks can take away the incentive for the support seeker to learn, a matter we return to in the ‘Discussion and conclusion’ section.