Research Projects

Online Information Use of Older Adults

"Being online" has now become a part of everyday life for older adults as well. With this shift, the internet has gained significant importance for news and information consumption. According to the Reuters Digital News Report 2023, nearly two-thirds of individuals aged 55 and older use the internet for news at least once a week, and a quarter obtain their news from social media platforms on a weekly basis. This development has raised concerns about dysfunctional usage behavior, such as the possibility that older adults may show lower proficiency with digital news and may be more susceptible to encountering and spreading misinformation.
However, there is limited research on how older adults engage with (political) information on platforms like Facebook or messenger apps such as WhatsApp. The DFG-funded research project, led by Professor Anna Sophie Kümpel, aims to fill this gap by investigating older adults' news and information consumption on social media and messaging apps. The goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of older adults' perceptions, experiences, and usage practices when interacting with these services.
The project employs a multi-method design, including an innovative qualitative interview study and a "classic" standardized survey. The survey will be complemented by data donations, in which selected participants will be asked to provide usage data from platforms and messaging services. This will allow for an analysis of the specific content they interact with. Additionally, the study aims to explore how data donation studies can be made more accessible to potentially less tech-savvy individuals.

Project duration: 10/2023 to 10/2026

Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG)

Team: Luise Anter, M.A.; Martin Fischer, M.A.

Junior Research Group DigiDeMo

Project Website: DigiDeMo

Consortium Project KLIMA-MEMES

Project Website: KLIMA-MEMES

Consortium Project DataDonations4SustainableChange

Project Website: DD4SC