Retired IT-connected: How Older Persons Adopt and Use Technology for Political Crisis Solving

Abstract

Information technology (IT) enables access to up-to-date information and provides a basis for collective self-organizing and problem solving which are critical for addressing crises. However, less is known how specific and vulnerable groups of populations, such as older people, use IT for addressing and solving crisis. This paper investigate how older people adopt IT to become active in solving a political crisis in Belarus in late 2020, where the country has experienced peaceful mass protests, widespread violation of human rights, and repressions. Our findings highlight key processes underlying IT adoption and engagement in crisis solving by older person and illustrate that IT adoption and engagement in crisis management are interrelated