TY - GEN
T1 - Increased Use of Asocial Technologies Is Associated with Reduced Well-being among Older Adults
AU - Ghaiumy Anaraky, Reza
AU - Schuster, Amy M.
AU - Van Fossen, Jenna
AU - Nov, Oded
AU - Cotten, Shelia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
PY - 2025/4/26
Y1 - 2025/4/26
N2 - In this paper, we introduce the concept of asocial technologies (e.g., online purchases), which digitize activities that traditionally would have been carried out in person (e.g., in-person shopping). We argue that using asocial technologies limits users' opportunities for face-to-face interactions, which can be particularly detrimental to older adults (65+) who are more prone to social isolation and loneliness. Analyzing longitudinal survey data from the U.S. National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 1925), we identified the adverse effects of asocial technologies on older adults' well-being. Using a within-between-level analytical framework, we found that an increased use of asocial technologies in a given year is associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of overall health experienced by older adults in the following year. This work highlights the negative consequences of asocial technology use, emphasizing the need for more systematic designs in digital innovations that target seniors.
AB - In this paper, we introduce the concept of asocial technologies (e.g., online purchases), which digitize activities that traditionally would have been carried out in person (e.g., in-person shopping). We argue that using asocial technologies limits users' opportunities for face-to-face interactions, which can be particularly detrimental to older adults (65+) who are more prone to social isolation and loneliness. Analyzing longitudinal survey data from the U.S. National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 1925), we identified the adverse effects of asocial technologies on older adults' well-being. Using a within-between-level analytical framework, we found that an increased use of asocial technologies in a given year is associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of overall health experienced by older adults in the following year. This work highlights the negative consequences of asocial technology use, emphasizing the need for more systematic designs in digital innovations that target seniors.
KW - Older adults
KW - asocial technologies
KW - depression and anxiety
KW - face-to-face interactions
KW - technology use and well-being
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005712407&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105005712407&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3706598.3713135
DO - 10.1145/3706598.3713135
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:105005712407
T3 - Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings
BT - CHI 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PB - Association for Computing Machinery
T2 - 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2025
Y2 - 26 April 2025 through 1 May 2025
ER -