How to educate the elderly about information and communication technologies

The Agency for Electronic Media undertakes significant efforts in the media description of young people in Croatia, and 2022 made a significant step forward in describing older fellow citizens. Elderly people represent a specific and vulnerable group that is often exposed to various forms of manipulation, including media manipulation, due to a lack of information and knowledge, which is why media literacy is crucial in protecting this group.

That's exactly why they dedicated The Guide for silver surfers to them. The guide deals with new technological developments in the media, fraud, false and misleading advertisements on the Internet, misinformation and fake news, and editing of photos, audio, and video recordings. It also provides advice, instructions, and guidelines for using new media, a small dictionary of new media terms, and a dozen practical exercises and tasks intended primarily for older people.

Coping with older people in a modern technological environment

Recently, there has been an increasing number of articles and research related to the discrimination of the elderly (from 60 years of age) in the context of modern communication platforms and about their coping in the modern technological environment. What is important to emphasize is the fact that a significant part of the Croatian population consists of citizens of the third age.

The World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other organizations and institutions, use the term "third age" for people over 65 years old. Part of the name of the manual "silver surfers" can also be found as one of the names for citizens of that age.

When we talk about the media (il)literacy of the elderly, the so-called Princeton study is most often cited. Scientists from Princeton found that people over 65 are seven times more likely to share fake news. The scientists explained that their findings suggest that the degree of digital literacy is related to age and that more needs to be done to teach older people how to properly use social networks and the Internet in general.

What can we do to help solve this problem?

States and various institutions are constantly looking for appropriate solutions for the regulation of the Internet space, which offers something new every day. As a solution and help in suppressing this problem, it is important to have adequate media literacy to make the environment aware of the existence of everything that does not have good intentions at its core. This particularly applies to young people who are just entering that world, but also to members of generations who grew up in a world and time in which, as a rule, it was known who was creating news and information.

On the occasion of the Media Literacy Day in May 2022, the Agency for Electronic Media published the first Croatian manual on the Internet and social networks for people of the third age. The guide contains theoretical part where authors explained the differences between traditional and new media and briefly describe the specifics of different social networks, paying attention to misinformation and fake news.

The manual also contains a small dictionary of media terms and guidelines for the use of the Internet and social networks for elderly people, including exercises and tasks that can be carried out by caregivers in homes for the elderly, alone or with family members.

"This is the first media publication of its kind in Croatia, but also beyond, whose goal is media education and literacy of the elderly, which proves how necessary it is. Most of the activities of the Electronic Media Agency in the field of media literacy are aimed at children and young people. With this, we are rounding off practically all generations", stated Josip Popovac, director of The Electronic Media Agency, at the presentation of the e-manual.

The research itself shows that older people are capable of learning and acquiring digital literacy skills, as long as they are strongly motivated or know the benefits of information and communication technology. Media education for the elderly should be based on their individual needs and the perceived value of the Internet.

They are part of a group whose needs, competences and perceptions of digital media and services will vary depending on their age, education, health, place of residence and social connection. Media literacy of the elderly should be developed within the framework of personalized and meaningful learning, taking into account the problems that appear with aging, from changes in cognitive processes, reduced perception to limitations of motor skills.

The government and institutions responsible for the preservation of human rights and equality must continue to take steps to raise awareness of the prohibition of harmful age discrimination, providing constant and clear guidelines and support for the need for media literacy for people of the third age. Aging is natural and if we are going to live in demographically old societies, then let them be societies of media-literate people.