Older People’s Online Information Consumption in Light of COVID-19-related Uncertainty, 2021

The data was generated as part of a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant funded research project. The aim was to investigate how older people (65+) in the UK consume online information and what makes them vulnerable during this process. Researchers at the University of York recruited from across the UK male and female older people who are internet users in order to discuss how they use the internet to find information and how this information is used. COVID-19 online search was used to facilitate the discussion and tasks related to fake and real news were completed during the interview process. The interviews took place via zoom. The transcripts comprise in-depth interviews with older people (n=28) while they were searching for COVID-19-related information online.

Amid COVID-19, as people spend more time online, their health-related information consumption practices are tested by threats such as fake news, scams and clickbait. Older people can be particularly vulnerable to these threats as they may not always have the IT skills to process information confidently. Hence, using information foraging as the theoretical lens, we investigate how older people consume online information in light of COVID-19-related uncertainty. This includes how they seek, use, share, dismiss and decide to follow online information and what makes them vulnerable during their online navigation. Screencast videography, an innovative approach to capture the lived experiences of internet users in real time, along with in-depth interviews, were employed. Twenty-eight internet users aged 65+ were recruited. Theoretical, practical and policy implications will be drawn from the findings.  To obtain a free account please register with the UKDA.