Beyond humanist appropriation: agency and co-construction of older adults and digital technology

Abstract

This essay seeks to contribute to the emerging discussion in Latin America on the relationship between aging and digital technologies, problematizing deterministic ideas about older people and their digital inclusion. Older adults’ agency about use of technology is discussed, and then this humanistic position is contrasted with post-humanist approaches related to the so-called ‘material turn’. These approaches have underlined the co-construction or mutual constitution of older people and technology, where aging is not only produced jointly with different devices, but also with discourses, policies, norms, etc. Thus, it is proposed that, rather than focusing solely on appropriation, the study of older people and digital technology should also focus on their co-construction.