Elderly, ICTs and Qualitative Research: Some Methodological Reflections

The study of the use of media by the elderly has been producing an ever-increasing number of social researches. ICTs are seen by many as tools for a more actively facing ageing processes. Moreover, due to the reduction of the age-related digital divide, older adults represent an interesting type of users. From this standpoint, social researchers have been increasingly investigating older adults’ uses and non-uses of ICTs, both with quantitative and qualitative methods, online and offline tools. Starting from the presentation of three empirical studies carried out by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy) between 2013 and 2020, the following paper aims to reflect on limits and opportunities offered by different research designs in this field of studies. To this purpose, we provide an overview on methods adopted in order to grasp the relationship between the elderly and technologies in complex and articulated social contexts. Furthermore, we will reflect on future lines of inquiry in this field of research, advocating for a greater interdisciplinarity in ageing studies as well as underlining the benefits offered by ethnographic methods and overall qualitative research. Finally, we sketch potential issues referring to the future of empirical research on the elderly in the upcoming years of the post-pandemic era.