For better or for worse, I found myself on the internet today. While searching for reports on the relationship between broadband, senior citizens, and social isolation, I came across this article, dated March 12, 2020 – the day before widespread COVID-caused lockdowns commenced. In that article, I cited several reports that linked increased broadband usage among senior citizens as a possible antidote to loneliness and social isolation. Almost 18 months later, some recent reports paint a more nuanced picture. Yes, broadband access is critical to enable telehealth and social connectivity, but isolation and loneliness are separate issues, and excessive reliance on broadband-enabled social connections may, in fact, trigger isolation. In all, it seems that senior users of broadband are not very much different than younger users, and that a balance between electronic and face-to-face interactions is a sound, if not sensible, approach toward healthy outcomes.
At the outset, it is useful to revisit the definition of “loneliness,” which refers to a subject’s experience of unfulfilled social and intimate needs. By contrast, “isolation” is a lack of social connections. A person can be isolated, yet not feel lonely; and a person who enjoys social contacts can yet feel lonely. Isolation, however, can lead to loneliness.
As presented in the earlier article (linked above), some research suggests that online interactions can reduce feelings of loneliness among the elderly. But, as the body of literature grows, some critical examinations are suggesting that the links between loneliness and senior citizens’ use of ICT (information communications technology) and social networking sites (SNS) may not be as thoroughly documented as necessary to draw reliable conclusions. In the first instance, research on SNS’s and senior citizens is at a nascent stage. Moreover, it is not clear that studies have delineated sufficiently between loneliness and isolation when studying the impact of ICT usage in senior populations. Finally, prior to 2013, studies largely did not differentiate between SNS’s and email.
Nevertheless, a link between ICT use, independent of SSN or other applications, and improved mental health outcomes is emerging. Engagement with ICT has been found to correspond to positive self-esteem as well as personal identity, which themselves can play a role in overall emotional status, including impacts on subjective feelings of loneliness. Moreover, engagement with ICT is a foundational element of telehealth, which is enjoying a stratospheric usage increase over the past 18 months. As is the case with many COVID impacts, it will be a while before long-term imprints are settled and reported. It can be expected that these will find expression in future studies: A recent report from the Journal of Medical Internet Research concludes from a review of more than 200 studies that a more studied, rigorous approach must be taken before a firm causal relationship between internet use and senior isolation and/or loneliness can be defined.
Despite these tempering reports, the evolving body of literature suggests several encouraging conclusions. Positive correlations between ICT usage and loneliness and/or senior isolation have been identified, even if more focused studies will be necessary to demonstrate more sharply defined conclusions. At the same time, there are consistent reminders that SNS use by the elderly, as is the case in other age populations, is a useful supplement to but not a replacement for face-to-face interactions. Finally, growing telehealth usage across all populations includes increased engagement among the elderly, leading to improved physical (as contrasted against mental) health outcomes. Taken together, these findings support logical, common-sense efforts to increase digital inclusion among the elderly.
