A Study On Short Video Usage And Social Interaction Among Rural Elderly Groups

With the continuous popularization of the Internet and the gradual narrowing of the gap between urban and rural areas,the media use of rural elderly groups has gradually become rich and diverse,and the use of short video platforms has become an important part of the lives of some rural elderly.In the past,elderly people who were in a vulnerable group now have more abundant time,more urgent social needs,and increasingly close social connections.Under the influence of the intentional sinking strategy of short video platforms,some elderly people’s use of short video platforms takes the first place among users in terms of duration and frequency.The short video platform not only provides news information and broadens horizons for rural elderly groups,but also helps them achieve online social interaction and establish and maintain social relationships.The widespread popularity of short video platforms has had a potential impact on the emotional,cognitive,media consumption,and social interaction behavior of rural elderly groups.However,there are currently few studies on the short video usage behavior of specific rural elderly groups in the academic community.This article explores the relationship between the use of short video platforms by this group and the establishment and satisfaction of social interactions through a comprehensive analysis of questionnaires and interviews.The survey in this article explores how to help rural elderly groups spend a healthy and active elderly life and make efforts to address the issue of population aging.In order to accurately study the role of short video platforms in social interaction among rural elderly groups,this article uses a questionnaire as a preliminary survey,designs interview questions based on the survey results,and selects rural elderly groups in x City,Hubei Province to conduct interviews to understand the understanding,usage,demand satisfaction,and social status of short video platforms among rural elderly groups.The research has constructed a basic social interaction model for rural elderly groups based on short video platforms: elderly groups engage in communication with connection demands and group identity demands,and under the joint action of personal cognition and external environment,generate social behavior,ultimately promoting group unity and generating emotional energy.Research has found that the social interaction habits of the elderly on short video platforms still have a differential pattern centered on kinship and geography,with scenes transitioning from offline to online.The short video platform has expanded the range of social interaction and participation of the elderly,and achieved weak relationships with netizens and fans.The establishment of short video platform social networking can enhance the information screening ability and social participation of rural elderly groups,and recreate rural public communication scenarios.Short video platforms can help rural elderly people moderately access the online world,expand social networking,and express themselves.However,if not screened and overused,it may also exacerbate their sense of loneliness and be detrimental to their physical and mental health.The digital divide,family and peer connections are important factors that affect the willingness of elderly groups to engage in social interaction,so it is necessary to exert the power of kinship and provide digital feedback;Government departments have strengthened technical guidance and training,and media platforms have increased the speed of aging adaptation and transformation to jointly assist rural elderly groups in living a good old age.