A Short Video from Nankai University Says the Internet Needs to Enrich the Lives of Middle-aged and Elderly People
Recently, Fudan University Project released the Research Report on Internet Use and Internet Literacy of Middle-aged and Elderly People (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") and organized an online seminar with the participation of many experts and scholars from Peking University, Nankai University, Renmin University of China, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Xiangtan University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other universities and research institutions. The discussion will focus on topics such as the use of the Internet and short videos among the middle-aged and elderly, as well as their digital skills and digital literacy.
According to the report, it is found that middle-aged and elderly people use the Internet well and have a strong sense of self-management. It is pointed out that rational use of the Internet and short videos can help enrich the daily life of middle-aged and elderly people, enhance community integration and social participation of middle-aged and elderly people, and improve their well-being. In this regard, experts at the meeting suggested that the state and society should further strengthen digital skills training for middle-aged and elderly people, and actively guide them to form healthy and benign Internet use habits, so as to give full play to the positive role of the Internet and short videos.
Yuan Xin, a professor at the School of Economics of Nankai University and director of the university's Aging Social Governance Strategy Research Center, said that the report presents a comprehensive and objective picture of the online life of the elderly, and calls for a rational view of the Internet for the elderly, which will help form a social atmosphere where all parties can work together to help the elderly use the Internet in a healthy way and enjoy digital life.
Yuan also said that as the aging of the population continues to intensify, digital life is an important way to improve the quality of life of the elderly, and "digital aging" is a concrete embodiment of modern society's tolerance and friendliness to the elderly. Based on years of observation and research, he is concerned that Douyin has made a series of effective attempts in the aspects of suitable aging content, form and presentation, such as time management function, elder mode, special line for old friends, warm prompt popover, etc. He also points out that suitable Internet products should focus on "putting into their best interests" and "entering into their hearts", that is, starting from the concerns of middle-aged and elderly people. For example, health preservation, property safety, online shopping product quality, interaction with family/neighborhood, etc., to effectively meet the needs of middle-aged and elderly people, adapt to the characteristics of digital life of middle-aged and elderly people, can really impress them.
At the same time, Yuan Xin also stressed that online and offline services should not be neglected, and the construction of offline basic services should not be ignored because of the development of digitalization. Without careful offline services, the digital life of the elderly online is difficult to be implemented, which can only be a "castle in the air". We need to respect the diversity and difference of residents in the digital society. On the one hand, we need to make concerted efforts to enhance the accessibility, convenience and age-suitability of digital technologies, and encourage and help the elderly to actively and conveniently integrate into digital life. On the other hand, it is also necessary to respect those who start late, run slowly or even refuse to move forward on the road of digital life, and take care of the diversity and diversity of the group. In the context of the booming digital life, necessary offline support is still needed for them in terms of policies, technologies, services and facilities, so as to ensure that they can share the progress of digital life. Inclusive of all residents on the digital road, reflecting the digital society with temperature.
