Digital Literacy among Elderly in Trivandrum

Introduction

Elderly or old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of
human beings, and is thus the end of human life cycle. It is the eve of the life.
Elderly is the later part of life i.e., the period of life after youth and middle age.
Old age comprises "the later part of life; the period of life after youth and middle
age . . ., usually with reference to deterioration”. At what age old age begins
cannot be universally defined because it differs according to the context. The
United Nations has agreed that 65+ years may be usually denoted as old
age[9] and this is the first attempt at an international definition of old age.,
the World Health Organization (WHO) set 55 as the beginning of old age. At the
same time, the WHO recognized that the developing world often defines old age,
not by years, but by new roles, loss of previous roles, or inability to make active
contributions to society. Gerontologists have recognized the very different
conditions that people experience as they grow older within the years defined as
old age. In developed countries, most people in their 60s and early 70s are still fit,
active, and able to care for themselves. According to a 2016 report by the ministry
of statistics and program implementation, India has 103.9 million elderly people
above age 60 about 8.5 percent of the population.
Literacy is the ability to reading and writing skills. In modern world, it reflects as
the ability to use the technology. Digital literacy is the ability to use information
and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate
information requiring both cognitive and technical skills. Digital literacy refers to
the knowledge about electronic gadgets, social medias, content creation etc. This
includes writing in digital formats, Emails, blogs, WhatsApp, messenger,
Facebook, Instagram, mobile, internet, television etc. Digital literacy is a channel
to sharing and communicating ideas and opinions. Nowadays Digital literacy is
one important component in a person. Now the citizens are changed to digital
citizen – A person who is responsible for how they utilize technology to interact
with the world around them. Digital technology allows people to interact and
communicate with family and friends on a regular basis due to the busy
constrains of today’s life.
Nowadays every individual lives in a digital world. Here the study mainly focusses
on the literacy of elderly people about the digital world through mobile,
computer, television. As per the present day situation it seems that Digital literacy
is a boon to elderly people as it helps them to access all the facilities in their
fingertip. As far as the elderly people are concerned, digital literacy helps them to
have an easy communication with the outside world without depending on other
individuals. Most older persons are keen to learn basics of smart phones,
computers, laptops, and other modern gadgets, they hardly get support from
their younger family members, relatives or society due to hectic lifestyle of
younger generations. This use of digital world not only makes their life smooth,
comfortable and easier but also keeps them in the main stream of society.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

According to WHO (2014), the prevalence of over 60 years aged population is

increasing faster than any other aged population. Because the life expectancy rate
elderly is rising up and the fertility rate is decreasing. Although this condition is a
challenge for society to maximize health and functional capacity of older people
as well as their social participation and security. Plank etal (2011) describe the
same phenomena about the elderly that 65 years old population in all over the
world, especially in developed world, because the prevalence of old people is
increasing and the prevalence of children being born is decreasing.
Ageing is an inevitable development phenomenon about number of
changes in the physical, psychological, hormonal and social conditions. The
definition of elderly or aged is varied from society to society. There is no fixed age
at which a person being to be aged. It varies widely from one individual to
another. In general ageing is defined as those who have completed 60 years of
age. 8% of the population was recorded 60 years and above in 2011 census, it
expected to increase its share to 12.5% and by 2026 and 2050 respectively.
According to population census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons
(aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. With
the onset of the 21 st, the growing security of the older person in India is very
visible. Older people are living together, causing stress in joint and extended
families. Even where they are co-residing marginalization, isolation and insecurity
is felt among older person due to generation gap and change in life styles.
Ageing in Kerala is in its bad track record of social development indicators when
compared to the standard of living of elderly in foreign countries. Among this
elderly population only small group of people were literate. Only the literate
people are more feasible to use the electronic gadgets.
According to a study “active aging – enhancing digital literacies in elderly
citizens.” Being digital and information literate is so crucial nowadays society,
although not every citizen has the necessary means and resources to achieve
these skills especially the older ones. Therefore, it is necessary to develop ways to
help them to enhance their digital and information competency. A digital literate
society is a precursor to a knowledge based society requiring specific skills from
their citizens including elderly citizens to facilitate an active aging. The digitally
literate involves: Know how to access information and know how to collect it from
virtual and digital environments.
Manage and organize information to be able to use it in the future.
Evaluate, integrate, interpret, and compare information from multiple sources.
Create and generate knowledge by adapting applying and recreating new
information.
Communicate and information to different and varied audience through
appropriate means.

The feeling of loneliness appears associated with a reduced social work, being
associated with social isolation, which triggers some disturbances in self-esteem
and quality of life for the elderly. Social loneliness occurs when a person feels a
lack of belonging to the community or to establish social ties leaving a mixture of
feelings of rejection and non-acceptance. In fact, loneliness is a subjective feeling
associated with the quality of social interaction not with the quality of social
contact and may due to the emotional pain of losing someone very special or
marginalization of social ties. Digital literacy has been an asset to the
dissemination of information and knowledge through various digital tools
ensuring forms of socialization that will benefit elderly on the fight of the
loneliness and social isolation.
As per the study “The Digital Literacy of Seniors” gives the empirical results for
the media use and media behavior. Besides gender professional position and
education qualification, age and affiliation to a generation are in terms of our
country origin or culture the most significant predicators of whether someone is
familiar with the computer and the internet, whether they used in the personal
life or in the professional life. This article focuses principally on the German
situation because the relative increase in the proportion of elderly people in that
country has advanced the furthest in comparison with the rest of the world. On
the another study named “Uses of Digital Tools Among Elderly” gives the relation
of the elderly to information and communication technologies and approach two
discovered objectives are; to discover the technological resources they use and to
objectively describe the types of usage that senior citizen’s male the use of
information and communication technology. This study was concluded that the
resources are most widely used by the elderly are computers and the internet and
the type of usage is divided into four groups. Education information,
communication and entertainment.
In the study titled “The Capacity of Elderly Citizens to Access Digital Media” gives
the idea that about 60% of the population uses internet daily. However, among
the elderly the percentage is drastically lower. This study describes about the new
initiatives that followed in the European countries that with respect to the
frequency of access to new media and the use citizens make of them. This study
refers to when there is a source of opportunity for the information and
communication technologies to improve quality of life and as a medium for more
active social participation.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To identify the socio economic status.

2. To understand the knowledge of elderly among the electronic gadgets.

3. To identify the attitude of elderly towards social medias.

3. METHODOLOGY:
The methodology adopted for the study entitled " Digital Literacy among Elderly
in Thiruvananthapuram" is discussed under the following heads:

o 3.1. Locale of the study:

Thiruvananthapuram being the capital city of Kerala was selected as the locale for
the study. The samples were randomly collected from urban areas of the
Trivandrum district.

3.2. Study population

Samples belonging to the age group of 60+ were selected for the study.
population was categorized to younger old, middle old older old (60-70), (70-80)
& (80+) respectively. For the present study 50 aged people from both gender is
selected as the sample.

3.3. Study Design:

The selection of tool is very important for the success of the study. For every type
of research, we need certain tools to gather information. The design of the study
be as follows:
(i) Interview schedule

Data regarding baseline information of the samples be collected using

Interview schedule, it comprising personal socio- economic status, knowledge of
elderly among the electronic gadgets and the attitude of elderly towards the
social media.

3.4. Pilot Study

In order to check the feasibility of the study and tools prepared, a pilot study is
conducted among 10 aged populations which includes 5 females and 5 male
samples. Necessary modification made on light of the result of the study and the
tools is finalized accordingly.

3.5. Collection of data

Both primary and secondary data is collected for the present study.

3.6. Statistical Analysis

The collected data is statistically analyzed and interpreted using appropriate
statistical techniques.
INTERVIEW SCHEDULE TO ELICT BASELINE INFORMATION REGARDING
THE SOCIO- ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE AGED.

General information

1, Gender: 1) Male

2) Female

3) Transgender

2, Age: 1) 60-70

2) 71-80

3) 80+

3, Area: 1) Urban

2) Rural

4, Marital status: 1) Married

2) Unmarried

3) Widow

4) Divorced

5) Separated

5, Type of family: 1) Nuclear

2) Joint

3) Extended
6, If you are married, how many children do you have?

1) One

2) Two

3) More than two

4) None

7, Education Qualification: 1) Primary level

2) SSLC

3) Pre degree

4) Degree

5) Non formal Education

6) Professional

7) Illiterate

8, Occupational status: 1) Retired

2) Presently working

3) Never worked

4) Self- employed

5) Business

9, Monthly income: 1) Below Rs 5000

2) Rs 5000 -10000

3) Rs 10000- 15000

4) Rs 15000-20000

5) Rs 20000-25000
 7) Above 25000

8) No source of income

10, Source of income: 1) From present job

2) Pension

3) Savings

4) From Rent

5) From children

6) From Agriculture

7) Any other (specify)

11, Is your income enough for your living?

1) Yes 2) No

12, With whom do you live?

1) Alone

2) With spouse

3) With spouse and children

4) With relatives

5) Children only

6) With grand Children

13, Specify reason for your stay: 1) Prefer to stay alone

2) Children are employed in distant place

3) Children don't Prefer to stay with parent

4) Other family problem

 5) Prefer to stay with Spouse

6) No Children

14, Does you depend your children financially?

1) Yes 2) No

15, Who makes major decision in your family?

1) Your self

2) Son

3) Daughter

4) Collective decision

5) Spouse

6) Son in law

7) Daughter in law

8) Care giver

16, What is your opinion about younger generation?

1) Wiser

2) progressive

3) Selfish

4) Independent

5) Any other (specify)

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE TO UNDER STAND THE KNOWLEDGE OF ELDERLY ABOUT
ELECTRONIC GADGETS AND ATTITUDE TOWARS SOCIAL MEDIA

1, Do you have your own mobile phone?

1) yes 2) no
2, Do you have your own computer or laptop?
1) Yes 2) no
3)Do you have television in your home?
1) yes 2) No
4) Do you know how to operate mobile and its applications?
1) yes 2) No
5) Do you know how to operate computer/ laptop?
1) yes 2) No
6)Do you know how to operate television?
1) yes 2) No
7) How did you learn to use social medias?

1) From children
2) From grand children
3) From relatives
4) From friends
5) From spouse
6) By own
8)How long are you being using social media?

1) Less than one year

2) 1-2 year

3) 2-3 year

4) 3-4 year

5) 4-5 year

6) more than five

9)how often do you use the social media?
1)on a daily basis
2)weekly
3)fortnightly
4) rarely
5)never
10) mention the time you prefer to use social media?
1) day time
2) night time
3) both

11) Source of money for Internet recharging?

1) Using Pocket money

2) Using own earnings

3) Borrow money from Children

4) From Grandchildren
5) Others
6) Home Net Connection/WIFI
12)What is the purpose of using Social media?
1) Entertainment
2) Playing games
3) Blogging
4) Chatting
5) For video call
6) Reading
7) Watching pictures and videos
8) Social Updates
9) Studying
10) connecting with friends and family
 11) official engagements
12) online shopping
13)With whom do you chat every day?
1) Friends
2) Relatives
3) Children
4) Grandchildren
5) Spouse
14) Detail on account in Social media you have?

Sl.No Social media Yes No

platform
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
3 Instagram
4 Twitter
5 YouTube
6 Skype
7 Telegram
8 Messenger
9 Tiktok
10 Share chat
11 Hello
12 Hot star
13 IMO
14 Snap chat
15 Amazon
16 Filpkart
17 Uber
18 Likee
19 BOTIM
20 Any specific app
21 Others mention:
EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA RELATED QUESTIONS

Sl.No Statement Yes No

1 Do you feel happy while using social media?
2 Do you feel free from boredom while using social
media?
3 Do you feel that social status has increased after using
social media?
4 Do you feel security while using social media?
5 Do you think you cannot live without social media
connection?
6 Are you interested to find various new social media
apps?
7 Are you aware of using social media?
8 Do you feel deprived of privacy when using social
media?
9 Have you ever felt social media is useless?
10 Addiction of mobile phone and social media may
adversely affect family relationships. Do you agree
with this statement?
11 Is there any issues in family relationship for using
social media?
12 Did you ever experienced anything that while using
social media?
13 Do you think that you become more advanced after
using social media?
14. Do you think that involvement in social media helped to maintain the
relationships?
1) sometime
2) always
3) never
15.. Do you have a feel that this social media is a curse?
1) some times
2) always
3) never
16. Do you feel time wastage due to excessive use of social media?
1) some times
2) always
3) never

17. Friends in social media

1) known friends
2) unknown friends
3) both
18) what is your level of involvement in social activities through social media?
1) some times
2) always
3) never
19) which impact you get more while using social media?
1) positive impact
2) negative impact
3) both
20) What is your opinion about influence of social media in society?
1) positively influenced
2) negatively influenced
3) both
4) cannot determine
21) Problem faced by you due to over use of social media?
1) irregular food habit
2) lack of sleep
3) anxiety and depression
4) memory loss
5) poor vision
6) head ache
7) numbness in fingers
8) change in life style
9) no problem so far
10) all the above