Growing Old in a Digital World

Unlike younger generations, older people did not grow up with new technologies. In 2017, 44% of people aged 65-74 years in the European Union had never used a computer. According to Eurostat (2019), only 7% of people aged 65-74 have some digital skills. 

Despite the fact that older people have fewer digital competencies, the help available to them to learn the necessary skills is far from satisfactory. This project, however, focuses on existing solutions and presents digital inclusion initiatives for older people that exist in different locations across Europe.

I developed this project as the Central and Eastern European Scholarship Program (CEEJ) fellow. The program is funded by the US State Department through the US Embassy in Paris and implemented by the Meridian International Center.

My idea was to visit and observe some of the identified models of good practice, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, I had to limit my research to the internet only.