Interrogating the “Us” Versus “Them” Dichotomy in Technology Research with Older Adults

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Abstract
Research on technology for older people focuses on older people’s experiences–and understandably so. However, the phenomena of othering, or seeing this group as different and worse off, is a persistent problem. In this project, we turned inwards through an 8-month collaborative autoethnography to understand our own experiences with technology issues and supporting others in technology use. We found that each member of our mixed age group faced pervasive and burdensome technology issues and recognized that some of the burden is associated with the evolution of technology tools. Our work contributes an expanded understanding of aging as a sociotechnical process and identifies counternarratives to implicit assumptions we held as HCI researchers working with older people. Our research also shows how reflexive positional methods can surface often unexamined experiences with technology issues and aging among researchers.
Funding Information
  • National Science Foundation (IIS-2045679)
  • National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (#90REGE0024)

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