Getting Older Adults Connected and Supported: Exploring the Role of Online Communities

Key words: online community, elderly population, interpersonal network, social support, social identity

Abstract:

Chinese older adults become more socially isolated because of the dramatic changes in today’s China. This paper attempts to examine whether the emerging online communities have the potential in partially solving this problem. In more detail, the present study examined whether online community involvement was associated with the network size, perceived social support, and feelings of social connectedness among Chinese older participants. The study investigated one of the most active senior-oriented online communities in China, OldKids. com, and collected 196 valid responses through an online survey posted on their website. The findings showed that OldKids online community involvement played a significantly positive role in the social life of Chinese elderly. This paper also provides guidance for future interventions to help older adults lead a healthy social life using new communication technologies.

Published in Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, Issue 01, 2016

Author:

Pan Shuya, Lecturer, Renmin University of China; Researcher, Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, Renmin University of China.