Everyday life interactions of women 60+ with icts: Creations of meaning and negotiations of identity

Abstract

How do women 60+ use and ascribe meaning to “new” and “old” information and communication technologies such as cell phones, the Internet, computers, TV, and radio? To investigate this question, life-graph discussions, walking interviews in small domestic spaces, and semi-structured interviews with Austrian women aged 60–70 have been conducted. The analysis of the material collected has shown that both generation-specific experiences of media usage and individual biographical backgrounds influence the use of and ascription of meaning to ICTs. However, ICT usage does not only reflect collective generational experiences and individual biographical circumstances. ICTs are also actively used by women 60+ to creatively shape their identities as women and older adults. Thus, this paper discusses processes and strategies of identity negotiations of women 60+ in the context of ICTs, and explores how everyday life interactions with ICTs can be interpreted as a means of resistance against normative assumptions such as ageist stereotypes.