SUPPORTING SENIOR CITIZENS USING THE INTERNET IN CHINA

Abstract

China has become the second largest Internet-using country in the world, but the per- centage of use by those aged above 50 is extremely low, at less than 3.5%. Although there have been many studies conducted on Internet support methods, they have focused on support for children and working adults, not for the elderly. In this paper, we first inves- tigate senior citizens’ anxiety and needs to use the Internet as well as difficulties and obstacles they often face. Next, to ease their anxieties and satisfy their needs, we pro- pose a system called the Senior Internet Support & Learning Environment. Finally, we demonstrate the system’s usability. The implications of the study are valuable: it is based on the conditions of China and highlights the differences faced in China in comparison to overseas studies. Moreover, the proposed environment can provide Internet developers with a better understanding of the situation of local senior citizens with respect to the Internet, as well as a framework for further implementing the development phase for narrowing the digital divide in China.