Exploring user requirements for online cooperation through social capital theory

Abstract

The Internet and its media enables individuals to collaboratively work together across geographical and time barriers. Older adults could benefit from this advances by becoming active as a mentor or coach, passing on their professional knowledge, which often lies idle when they retire. To allow younger generations to benefit from older adults' professional experience and knowledge we aim at developing an online platform to foster a professional exchange. Therefore, we investigated users' requirements for successful online cooperation, and carried out workshops and expert interviews. Two important aspects were identified: (1) The quality of the relationship and (2) the way cooperative processes are established and maintained. We discuss the gathered results through the lens of social capital theory. This approach allows us to reflect upon requirements to facilitate social cooperation and the development of trustful relationships. Based on our findings, implications for the development of an online platform for intergenerational knowledge transfer are provided.