Research On Smartphone Use Behavior Of Elderly Groups

In the digital age,mobile phones have gradually become an indispensable existence in people’s lives.The popularity of smart phones has made "touching the Internet" an active or passive choice for many elderly groups.This paper focuses on the use of smartphones by the elderly.Through a questionnaire survey of 221 elderly people in Yanshan Street,Jinan City,combined with in-depth interviews with 9 elderly people and the author’s field observations in the elderly smartphone training class,the following questions are studied:The first is to describe and analyze the current situation of the use of smart phones by the elderly in Yanshan Street,Jinan City,including the length of use,the number of years of use,and the functions of use;the second is to explore the reasons for the adoption of smart phones and the learning methods of the elderly in the street;The third is to explore the use of smart phones in Jinan City To determine whether there is smartphone dependence among the elderly in Yanshan Street,and to analyze the correlation and difference between demographic factors and mobile phone dependence scores.The fourth is to explore the degree of loneliness,the correlation between loneliness and mobile phone dependence among the elderly in the street,and on this basis,to explore the causes of smartphone dependence.This paper draws the following conclusions:in terms of smartphone use,the elderly group’s mobile phone use shows a multi-frequency use,the use of mobile phone functions is shallow,mainly social functions,and the proficiency of mobile phone use is high.At the level of smartphone adoption and learning,convenience in life,social interaction and meeting spiritual needs are the main driving forces for the elderly to learn smartphones.Self-study and children’s teaching are the main ways for them to learn smartphones.At the level of smartphone dependence,the elderly population in Yanshan Street has mobile phone dependence as a whole,but the degree of dependence is not high.Demographic factors such as age and income can affect their mobile phone dependence.The younger the age,the greater the dependence;the higher the income,the greater the dependence.Smartphone usage time and usage proficiency were also significantly positively correlated with mobile phone dependence.At the level of loneliness,there is a significant positive correlation between the loneliness score of the elderly and the score of mobile phone dependence.The stronger the loneliness,the higher the dependence of the elderly on smartphones.Lack of intergenerational support and lack of social activities are the main causes of loneliness among the elderly.Based on this,the author attributes the causes of smartphone dependence among the elderly to two aspects:social support needs driven by loneliness and daily life satisfaction driven by practical needs.The use of smartphones consolidates the acquaintance circle of the elderly group,enables them to build new interpersonal networks,increases social support,and the rich functions on smartphones can bring alternative spiritual satisfaction and alleviate the sense of loneliness of the elderly.The online reconstruction of life scenes by mobile media and the portability of mobile phones have also prompted the elderly to use smartphones for a long time,forming mobile phone dependence.In view of the current situation of smartphone dependence and loneliness among the elderly,the author puts forward some intervention suggestions,including carrying out online action to benefit the elderly,establishing a smartphone mutual assistance platform for the elderly,developing and promoting intelligent mobile phone products,organizing cultural and sports activities,and creating a volunteer service platform for the elderly.