Skip to content menu PDF Page 1 / 10 fullscreen remove_circle_outline add_circle_outline rotate_right search group_add more_horiz get_app E M P I R I C A L A R T I C L E Digital ageism: A new kind of discrimination Shlomit Manor 1 | Arie Herscovici 2 1 Department of Sociology, Western Galilee College, Akko, Israel 2 Department of Political science, Western Galilee College, Akko, Israel Correspondence Shlomit Manor, Department of Sociology, Western Galilee College, Akko, Israel. Email: shlomitm@wgalil.ac.il Abstract Many older people find it difficult to navigate the digital sphere and to use online ser- vices. The aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which user experi- ence (UX) experts, who are entrusted with making websites and online services accessible, are aware of the unique needs of older users and whether they possess the appropriate resources and training. The research data were collected through 28 semi-structured in-depth interviews with UX practitioners, teachers, and researchers. The findings revealed two aspects of ageism: individual and organiza- tional. At the individual level, ageism is expressed in a lack of awareness and under- standing of the unique needs and difficulties of older users in the digital space. At the organizational level, ageism is manifested, among other things, in the lack of in-depth research among older users and the lack of appropriate training in characterizing older users. The result is digital ageism. K E Y W O R D S ageism, digital ageism, older people, older users, user experience 1 | I N T RO DU CT I O N Many services are now being provided digitally. Some of them are intended for the entire population and others target-specific sectors of the population, such as youths, students, or senior citizens. Israel, like many other countries, has enacted accessibility laws designed to make online services equally accessible to all. Despite the various means of accessibility used, data reveal that not all sectors of the pop- ulation make extensive use of the Internet and online services. One of these sectors is senior citizens. Data from a survey conducted by the Israeli Internet Association from 2020 indicate that although the situ- ation has improved in the last year and around 80% of people aged 65 – 75 have reported using the Internet, it is still less than its usage among the general population. The data show that the older the per- son, the less they use online services, with only 56% of people aged 75 and over in Israel using online services and the Internet. Their use of online services on mobile phones is even lower, with only 48% of people aged 75 and over surfing the Internet via mobile phones (ISOC-IL- , 2020). The gap between young and old people is, there- fore, particularly large. Many studies have discussed the issues of access to information technology (IT) by older adults and typical challenges they encounter in the digital arena. Some studies have indicated physio- logical, cognitive, and emotional difficulties, as well as a lack of moti- vation on the part of the older adults themselves. Others have suggested solutions and ways of coping to make digital services more accessible to older individuals (Friemel, 2016; Mitzner et al., 2010; Niehaves & Plattfaut, 2014; Selwyn, 2004). Despite the difficulties, digital technology holds a promise to improve older adults' well-being. Most researchers are in agreement regarding the benefits inherent in IT and its ability to enable older adults to live more comfortable and independent lives in their current homes and communities (Bobillier Chaumon et al., 2014; Golant, 2017; Russell, 2011). However, there seems to be a discrepancy between what IT has to offer and what older adults actually want and need (Mannheim et al., 2019). The transition to digital services might cause the exclusion of many older adults and deepen the digital inequality, although such services mostly meet the criteria of acces- sibility regulations. Accessibility for people with disabilities, such as the visually impaired or the hard of hearing, and accommodations for speakers of different languages, are not necessarily tailored to the needs of older adults (Hawthorn, 2007). Despite this, the preva- iling tendency is to blame the older adults themselves for their unwillingness to switch to online services, attributing to their traits Received: 4 July 2021 Revised: 23 August 2021 Accepted: 1 October 2021 DOI: 10.1002/hbe2.299 1084 © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Hum Behav & Emerg Tech. 2021;3:1084 – 1093. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hbe2 of conservatism and technophobia to explain why they rarely use digital services. In recent decades, many organizations that offer online services have begun employing user experience (UX) experts who are charged with tai- loring applications to a variety of different users, with attention to their diverse needs and difficulties. The difficulties older adults encounter when navigating the digital world and their inability to feel comfortable and safe using the various applications, bring into question the awareness of UX professionals to the needs and difficulties of older users, and how well they understand them (Hawthorn, 2007). When the UX is not tailored to the needs of older users, it distances them from the digital world, causes digital exclusion, and expresses an ageist attitude (Lagacé et al., 2015). Ageism, which has been widely discussed in the gerontological lit- erature, is reflected in many areas of life, such as the legal system, the media and advertising (Doron, 2011, 2013), the labor market (Bodner, 2011), the health system (Koren, 2013), and more. The issue of ageism in the digital space is, however, less discussed, and even less so as a reason why older adults avoid using online services. Only a handful of studies have examined the role of ageism to explain how age stereotypes negatively affect the use of information and commu- nications technology (ICT) (Lagacé et al., 2015). The purpose of the present study is to examine the extent to which UX designers, who are entrusted with making websites and online services accessible, are aware of the unique needs of older users. The study examines whether the UX experts have the required training and organizational resources to understand and respond to these needs and whether there is ageism in the digital arena. This question has become particularly acute following the COVID-19 pandemic, as the growing needs of older people for online services became even more evident. 2 | LITERATU RE REVIEW 2.1 | Barriers to the use of online services among older adults Many services, both private and public, are being offered online in recent years, and many applications have been developed to make these services accessible and convenient to use. In Israel, as in many other countries, many government services are offered in an online format as part of the available government project. As studies indi- cate, however, internet use is related to socio-demographic variables, such as income, education, gender, and age (Friemel, 2016), and so groups differ in the extent to which they use the internet. Differences in both accessibility and attitudes towards the Inter- net as well as capabilities and types of IT use are referred to in the lit- erature as the “ digital gap ” or, more precisely, “ digital inequality ” (Lev-On et al., 2020, p. 147). Nowadays almost every person in Israel has a smartphone that enables connection to online services and information and the problem of infrastructure and end devices is less relevant. Inequality therefore stems mainly from this digital inequality. These are, in fact, various forms of inequality: technological, material, social, educational, and more. It is, therefore, appropriate to examine not the degree of physical accessibility to the Internet but the way in which different populations use it, given their varying levels of digital literacy, skills, and abilities. This variability in usage affects the ability of individuals or groups to enjoy the benefits of IT in almost every aspect and area of life and thus affects digital equality (Hatuka & Zur, 2018: Lev-On et al., 2020). As a result, groups that are character- ized by infrequent use of the internet may experience digital exclusion (Goldschmidt, 2017; Lev-On et al., 2020). Digital exclusion prevents individuals or groups from using resources that are sometimes vital to them, thereby causing “ multiple deprivation, ” (Castells, 2002, as cited in Lev-On et al., 2020, p. 147). As more and more services are provided online, Internet use becomes more essential for receiving various daily services and the exclusion from the digital space is particularly damaging. The literature offers several explanations of the barriers facing older adults regarding the use of online services. One is the percep- tion older adults have of the internet as useless and irrelevant (Friemel, 2016; Hakkarainen, 2012). Another has to do with older adults' lack of skills and knowledge of how to use the internet. Lee et al. (2011) identified four components that limit internet use among older adults: lack of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, functional limitations, such as memory loss, structural, and technical limitations, and personal limitations, such as lack of support, guidance, or assis- tance. Indeed, it is difficult to acquire the skills required to use the internet at an old age, and efforts should be made to make online ser- vices accessible to struggling populations (Mitzner et al., 2010). Making the digital sphere more accessible and user-friendly for older people requires effort on the part of many professionals. These include the UX profession, a relatively new vocation that, like other digital professions, has emerged only in recent decades. 2.2 | The evolution of the UX profession New technologies and new technological requirements, as well as new consumer behaviors, are leading to the appearance of new pro- fessions that reflect innovations in the digital world. These new pro- fessions are evolving at a rapid pace without having undergone a process of professional standardization and regulation. Indeed, these are young professions for which the labor market has not yet designed uniform requirements (Fossen & Sorgner, 2019). Unlike the new digital professions, the classic professions are characterized by a long training period and often require a long apprenticeship period until the intern receives a permit or license to practice. Professional progress is relatively slow and gradual, and steps on the path to promotion cannot be skipped (Freidson, 1984). Some of the new digital professions, on the other hand, are different. Some- times, a short training period is all that is required to acquire the pro- fessional credentials, resulting in a lack of a broad base of knowledge that constitutes a professional foundation. The UX profession developed from the field of human – computer interaction ( HCI). HCI is a relatively young and broadly diverse field MANOR AND HERSCOVICI 1085 help