TY - GEN
T1 - A systematic literature review of social network systems for older adults
AU - Ahmad, Bilal
AU - Richardson, Ita
AU - Beecham, Sarah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Background. The proportion of older adults (OAs) is increasing throughout the developed world. Social isolation is a recognised problem for this sector. Technology is regarded as a possible way to create a more inclusive society, where for example social network systems (SNSs) can keep OAs in contact with local communities, create new communities, reduce adverse impact of geographic separation, reduced mobility and lifestyle changes. Objective. As end-users of SNSs, this paper looks at the current state of practice of SNSs for OAs. We explore what OAs think about SNSs, what they want from SNSs and whether these needs are met. Method. Taking a snowballing approach, we examined 51 primary studies on SNSs for OAs. Results. There is a discernible increase in SNSs designed for OAs since 2005, which claim to meet needs such as simplicity, ease of use, privacy and access to useful information. Yet, sustained use over time is unknown. Conclusion. SNSs remain a potential way to reduce the social isolation of OAs, however the extent to which SNSs can replace real human contact is largely unexplored, as is whether SNSs can trigger the creation of new supportive communities.
AB - Background. The proportion of older adults (OAs) is increasing throughout the developed world. Social isolation is a recognised problem for this sector. Technology is regarded as a possible way to create a more inclusive society, where for example social network systems (SNSs) can keep OAs in contact with local communities, create new communities, reduce adverse impact of geographic separation, reduced mobility and lifestyle changes. Objective. As end-users of SNSs, this paper looks at the current state of practice of SNSs for OAs. We explore what OAs think about SNSs, what they want from SNSs and whether these needs are met. Method. Taking a snowballing approach, we examined 51 primary studies on SNSs for OAs. Results. There is a discernible increase in SNSs designed for OAs since 2005, which claim to meet needs such as simplicity, ease of use, privacy and access to useful information. Yet, sustained use over time is unknown. Conclusion. SNSs remain a potential way to reduce the social isolation of OAs, however the extent to which SNSs can replace real human contact is largely unexplored, as is whether SNSs can trigger the creation of new supportive communities.
KW - Older adult
KW - Snowballing
KW - Social isolation
KW - Social network systems
KW - Systematic literature review
KW - User needs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034572119&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-69926-4_38
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-69926-4_38
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85034572119
SN - 9783319699257
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 482
EP - 496
BT - Product-Focused Software Process Improvement -18th International Conference, PROFES 2017, Proceedings
A2 - Turhan, Burak
A2 - Winkler, Dietmar
A2 - Sarro, Federica
A2 - Kalinowski, Marcos
A2 - Mendez Fernandez, Daniel
A2 - Felderer, Michael
PB - Springer Verlag
T2 - 18th International Conference on Product-Focused Software Process Improvement, PROFES 2017
Y2 - 29 November 2017 through 1 December 2017
ER -
