Ageing societies and technological innovation

Abstract

Demographic ageing has been declared one of the main challenges for countries in the Global North by politicians, journalists, industry and academia alike. Many frame ageing as a problem that needs a technological fix and most digital technologies designed for older adults, reproduce images about old age defined by ill health, deficits and limitations. Digital public services are no different. However, scholars in critical and social gerontology argue that most of the alarmist rhetoric around demographic ageing and projected social implications are based on flawed assumptions about older people (e.g. their ability to contribute to their communities) and the ageing process (e.g. as solely described in terms of decline and long-term care needs). This chapter reviews dominant concepts about ageing societies, older adults and technological innovation. It argues, that engaging older adults in design processes, allows for alternative measures and attributes of “success” in later life and that participatory approaches can reconfigure how and which imaginaries and social practices are being scripted into technologies.