Adoption and Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Educated Elderly People in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51983/ijiss.2015.5.1.418Keywords:
Information, Communication, Technology, Use, Educated, ElderlyAbstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer opportunities and challenges in providing support and in enhancing the daily lives of older people. This study investigated the adoption and use of ICTs and the factors that influence the usage by the educated elderly in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Convenience and snowball techniques were used to select the sample, while questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The study found that the respondents were using mobile phones and computers, and that majority of them used both devices daily. The activities that the elderly used ICTs to perform are voice calling, phone messaging and e-mail. The study reveals that the children of the elderly, spouse and advertisement were the major factors that influenced the adoption and use of ICTs by the elders. The educated elderly people agreed that ICTs adoption and use has a lot of benefits. Cost of acquiring and maintaining ICTs was chosen as the major barrier they are facing in using ICTs. The study recommends that it is favourable to design ICTs that meet the needs and wants of the elderly people in addition to ensuring the ICTs are easy to use by this group of people.
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