Reporter Wan Yan Wenhao
According to the National Aging Working Committee Office’s “National Strategic Research Report on Population Aging”, my country’s elderly population will increase to 423 million in 2036, and the aging level will reach 29.1%; in 2053, the elderly population will increase to a peak of 487 million. The chemical level rose to 34.8%.
This "report" believes that my country will become the country with the most severe population aging situation in the world, and it will only take 41 years to complete the aging process of western developed countries for hundreds of years.
In the view of some scholars, the contradiction between the increasingly "old" population structure and the "new" digital form has become a common problem in the global digital society.
Some countries that have entered the aging society ahead of time, the concepts and practices of dealing with the digital divide for the elderly are worthy of reference and application in combination with the actual development of our country.
Form a lifelong learning society of mixed age
As early as the 1990s, the United States, which entered the Internet era earlier, first proposed the concept of digital divide.
To this end, the US government issued the "Filling the Digital Divide" report and passed the "Communications Act", requiring telecommunications companies to provide universal and equal telecommunications services for the elderly.
American scholars such as Plensky divide the social population into "digital natives", "digital immigrants" and "digital refugees."
Old people born before the 1960s are classified as typical "digital refugees."
Because they are unwilling or not good at using the Internet, they are constantly marginalized and even excluded from their digital lives, creating social problems such as the digital divide for the elderly.
Some scholars also put forward the concept of “digital poverty” for the elderly.
Professor Yang Yifan, deputy dean of the International Academy of Aging Sciences at Southwest Jiaotong University, said that the digital divide is a common phenomenon in an aging society, and it seems more difficult to bridge the gap caused by general knowledge differences or education levels in the past.
"From the experience of developed countries, most of them take active aging as a policy guide, and pay attention to the digital divide in the top-level design." Yang Yifan said.
The so-called "active aging" concept has been defined by the World Health Organization as a process aimed at "improving the quality of life of the elderly and making full use of various opportunities to pursue health, participation, and security."
In the digital age, making full use of the convenience provided by Internet technology is undoubtedly one of the important ways for the elderly to participate in social life.
Aging countries in Europe and the United States pay more attention to the learning and growth of the elderly themselves, and advocate the establishment of a lifelong learning consciousness in the whole society.
"In recent years, there has been a popular mood of'riding old people' in society, always thinking that old people are synonymous with backwardness and stubbornness." Professor Zhou Yuqiong of Shenzhen University believes that the whole society has a problem of how to treat the elderly correctly.
This scholar who has been engaged in research on the digital divide for the elderly for many years has found that many elderly people are eager to integrate into the digital society, and can also master the Internet and smartphone skills through learning.
In terms of bridging the digital divide for the elderly, she focuses more on family "digital backfeeding"-information sharing and intergenerational interaction within the family have become an important channel to narrow the digital divide, and promote mutual cognition and emotion.
This is also an important concept for developed countries to bridge the digital divide.
In Yang Yifan’s view, the elderly have high enthusiasm for digital participation, but lack the necessary digital participation capabilities and knowledge literacy. In the future, a learning-oriented health-care city with a combination of education and education will be established, and the intellectual resources of universities and communities will be fully utilized to form a mixed age. Lifelong learning society.
Create an "age-friendly" atmosphere in the digital age
Facing the digital divide between the elderly, some developed countries have made active explorations, covering top-level design, laws, social organizations and communities.
According to Professor Yang Yifan, in the experience of these countries, government departments have more awareness of digital fairness and tolerance, integrate the concept of "age-friendliness" into policies, and design more solutions beyond digitalization.
The EU has formulated "Electronic Skills for the 21st Century: Promoting Competitiveness, Growth and Employment", establishing a unified EU digital skills strategy, focusing on digital literacy for the elderly and other groups, and proposing lifelong learning and other programs.
At the same time, comprehensively promote electronic accessibility legislation to protect the interests of the elderly and other digitally disadvantaged groups, such as the Swiss "Government and Public Utilities Network Accessibility Regulations", Spain's "Computer Accessibility Regulations", and the Netherlands' "Internet Accessibility Regulations" Wait.
Research by Li Chengbo, associate professor at the School of Journalism of Chongqing University, shows that relying on a mature social organization system can improve the Internet use ability of the elderly.
For example, the American Technical Service Center for the Elderly uses technology as a tool to improve the lives of the elderly, and offers free computer and digital literacy courses to help the elderly use technology to socialize; the American non-profit organization elderly network center, dedicated to 50 years old Internet education is provided for the population and above, and the model of “elderly training for the elderly” is promoted to give play to the role of peer mutual aid education.
During the academic exchange in Singapore, Yan Yurong, a lecturer at Northwest University of Political Science and Law, studied the country's experience in improving the media literacy of the elderly.
In 2007, the People's Association of Singapore, a semi-official organization, established the Senior Citizens Council to promote the development of active aging in Singapore through public education, community and peer mutual assistance, and help them master various media skills.
In 2017, Singapore's Information and Communication Media Development Agency launched the IM Bank website, providing video guides to help seniors use digital technology.
They also initiated a digital clinic plan to bring together volunteers from all walks of life to help the elderly integrate into digital life.
In bridging the digital divide for the elderly, the European Union pays more attention to the educational role of schools. It unites with senior universities in Germany, Spain and other countries to set up senior digital colleges, offer free courses, and provide seniors with digital skills learning opportunities.
In addition, the European Union has also formulated the elderly happiness plan to encourage social sectors and enterprises to meet the digital needs of the elderly through product and service innovation.
In addition to these active explorations, some countries have weakened the digital divide for the elderly based on multiple factors such as conservative ideas about Internet technology innovation, digital products that may infringe on personal rights such as privacy, and a social inclusive mentality of multiple values.
In Zhou Yuqiong's view, in countries that are relatively conservative in Internet innovation, the social concept does not believe that digital integration is a good thing. Elderly people who do not use digital products will not feel inferior. This culture affects policy formulation and public services. Naturally, it is necessary to leave an alternative "window" outside of digitalization for these elderly people.
Family "digital feeding" is a realistic solution
The digital divide for the elderly is not only a problem for the elderly, but also a problem that needs to be solved urgently by the entire society.
In Yang Yifan's view, after the country has completed the top-level design, it must be clarified through laws and policies, and it must not discriminate against the elderly in digital technology in any form.
"It is necessary to adhere to the two-legged walk of digital and non-digital. It is not advisable to promote the integration of all elderly people into the digital society, to provide alternative solutions to the elderly who are unwilling or unable to access the Internet, to make digital services an option, and to allow'digital disconnection' The elderly receive the same high-quality public services.” Zhou Yuqiong believes.
In addition, some technology companies do not pay enough attention to the elderly user groups during product research and development, and do not really recognize the huge potential market demand in the aging society. The elderly digital divide will become a new consumption pain point.
"This is also the social responsibility that enterprises should bear. Some small companies may not be able to do it temporarily, but they should have such requirements for large platforms and enterprises." Yang Yifan said.
In his research, Zhou Yuqiong believes that based on foreign experience, my country’s advocacy of family “digital backfeeding” is a realistic and ideal solution to bridging the digital gap in the elderly.
Young people teach the elderly to use equipment and the Internet, and make them handy "not to be left behind", which is often more effective through family "digital feeding".
“It’s not that the longer the time spent online by the elderly, the better, but the breadth, depth, and degree of use of the Internet. Many communities are trying to teach the elderly to use the Internet. I also bring students to practice in the community, but I find that communities or colleges for the elderly are very It is difficult to teach the elderly once or twice that'digital feedback' should be long-term and subtle, or it is more effective to implement it in the family." Zhou Yuqiong explained.
In her view, developed countries are community-based countries with mature social organization systems and have completed social transformation.
In the process of digitalization in China, the construction of communities and public welfare is still transforming, and the power from society is still relatively weak.
Zhou Yuqiong suggested that family "digital backfeeding" can be incorporated into the media literacy education of primary and secondary schools, allowing students and schools to play a role in bridging the digital divide for the elderly, driving the whole family into the digital age, and gradually forming a new social concept.
However, with the changes in the family structure of four generations, the living arrangements of the elderly are becoming more and more solitary and empty nests. It is inevitable that the strength of the family is more scattered and random.
"In view of the fact that some elderly people are hindered by the prestige and face of their elders and affect the family's'digital feeding', we can learn from the mature community volunteer service mechanism in the United States to encourage college student volunteers to enter the community and teach the elderly to use digital products." Li Chengbo suggested, the community The mutual help of the elderly can not only effectively overcome their fears, but also make up for the shortcomings of the insufficient strength of community organizations, making "digital feedback" more community-based, diversified and individualized.