Gilleard Chris, Higgs Paul
Centre for Behavioural and Social Sciences in Medicine, University College London, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7EJ UK.
Eur J Ageing. 2008 Jul 1;5(3):233. doi: 10.1007/s10433-008-0083-7. eCollection 2008 Sep.
This paper examines the digital divide in Internet use in later life. We hypothesise that the differential diffusion of domestic information and communication technologies between pre- and post-Second World War cohorts is primarily responsible for this divide rather than either age-associated structural inequalities or age-related intrinsic features of mental and/or physical infirmity. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing we show that age/cohort differences in Internet use persist after income, education, employment and health status are controlled for. However, when engagement with domestic information and communication technology and cultural activities are taken into account, age/cohort influences on Internet use decline. These contingent 'age/cohort' effects suggest that 'generational' rather than 'structural' or 'stage of life' influences may be more salient explanations of the (age-based) digital divide.
本文探讨了晚年互联网使用中的数字鸿沟问题。我们假设，第二次世界大战前后出生队列之间家庭信息通信技术的差异传播是造成这一鸿沟的主要原因，而非与年龄相关的结构性不平等或与年龄相关的身心虚弱的内在特征。利用英国老龄化纵向研究的数据，我们发现，在控制了收入、教育、就业和健康状况之后，互联网使用方面的年龄/队列差异依然存在。然而，当考虑到参与家庭信息通信技术和文化活动的情况时，年龄/队列对互联网使用的影响就会减弱。这些偶然的“年龄/队列”效应表明，对于（基于年龄的）数字鸿沟，“代际”影响而非“结构性”或“生活阶段”影响可能是更显著的解释。
