Connecting and reconnecting: a phenomenological study of the meanings extra care tenants attribute to using the internet for social contact
ISSN: 1460-8790
Article publication date: 14 March 2023
Issue publication date: 30 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of a group of extra care tenants, who, as novice internet users, began to maintain their social relationships online. Housing transitions in later life may jeopardise existing social relationships, leading to loneliness and social isolation. More recently, Covid-19 restrictions have limited familial face-to-face contact and wider social interactions. Thus, extra care tenants, who are not already online, may benefit from acquiring internet skills. This paper aims to enhance understanding of the participants’ transition from novices to experienced internet users and the impact on their social relationships and sense of self.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal, hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted over eight months in two extra care housing schemes in north east England. Ten participants (56–98 years) with age-related physical, sensory and cognitive losses were recruited to the study. A series of semi-structured interviews and participant diaries captured the participants’ experience as they developed internet skills and communicated online.
Findings
All participants, including a blind individual, learnt to communicate online. Personalised adaptive strategies, peer support, training and management involvement facilitated internet uptake. Participants felt their social relationships were supported, and they regained biographical continuity, through being and feeling they belonged in the modern digital world.
Originality/value
The online experiences of extra care tenants are rarely voiced. Their perceptions may assist others to engage online, maintaining social connections, which could otherwise be lost.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their appreciation for the support of Dr Catherine Bailey, Associate Professor Ageing and Well-Being, Northumbria University, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, in the development of this study. The authors would also like to express their appreciation to the extra care tenants, facilities managers and volunteer tutors who were integral to this inquiry and whose contributions were fundamental to its completion.
Citation
Wales, J., Cook, G. and Bailey, C. (2023), "Connecting and reconnecting: a phenomenological study of the meanings extra care tenants attribute to using the internet for social contact", Housing, Care and Support, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 18-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/HCS-01-2022-0001
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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