It is no exaggeration to say that the lives of the elderly today are living in a completely different world from the past. They come into contact with and utilize various new media that they could not experience at all in the past. If they can utilize media well, they are changing into a successful form that can enjoy a higher quality of life in old age. For example, if you have the ability to skillfully utilize new media such as computers or smartphones, you will not have to drag your uncomfortable body to go grocery shopping. If you can handle Twitter or Facebook, it can be an important tool to expand social relationships. Here, social motives include to get fun, to entertain, to rest, to see how others are doing, to express oneself, to contact friends and family, to communicate more easily, and to talk to people. Also, the main purposes for which people use media are to obtain information, give or receive advice, share interesting facts, meet new people, and share information with others.
The reason why elderly people who utilize new media well use smartphones to watch YouTube videos or enjoy texting or KakaoTalk is probably the same. In particular, mobile phones become very important communication tools for the elderly. It is a medium with enhanced immediacy in that messages can be sent immediately without waiting time or the process of finding a suitable place when a call is desired, and it also has the characteristic of directness in that messages can be exchanged directly with each other without other intermediaries between the sender and receiver of the message and without the boundaries of the belonging group or the interference of gatekeepers. These characteristics of mobile phones, such as personal centeredness, immediacy, and directness, attract the hearts of the elderly more strongly than any other means of communication. In that respect, the media communication tool for the elderly will be the mobile phone more than anything else. In addition, the information gap widens significantly between the elderly who utilize smartphones and those who do not, even among the new elderly or some elderly people.
Elderly people who can properly utilize smartphones can have broader communication opportunities.
If the elderly also want to live while enjoying their lives more abundantly as a tool to express themselves, it is important to have the ability to utilize media smoothly, especially in old age. It can be said that it is an essential factor that can determine the quality of life in old age. After all, if you are an elderly person who can properly utilize media, you will have broader communication opportunities and actively use media communication as a tool to connect generations. Also, if you can properly utilize and use media like that, it will have a positive impact on the elderly's health, self-esteem, and depression prevention. Furthermore, there are many positive aspects in that it can further improve the quality of life and have a successful aging process.
On the other hand, it should also be known that the use of media such as smartphones does not only have positive aspects. However, the older you are, the more careful you should be when using a smartphone. Elderly people often have presbyopia, hand tremors, or joint diseases, so they feel greater fatigue even if they use a smartphone for a short time. Elderly people have slower reaction speeds than young people, so there is a risk of leading to major accidents if they use smartphones while driving or walking. Elderly people with weak joints can strain their neck, finger joints, wrists, etc. if they hold and look at a smartphone for a long time. Also, using a smartphone until late at night is not only bad for eye health, but the blue light emitted from the screen's LED can awaken the brain and cause insomnia and depression.