Chapter 13: Digital inequality among older adults: how East Yorkers in Toronto navigate digital media
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Older adults have lagged behind other age groups in the adoption and use of digital media. To shed light on adoption and use patterns among older adults, this chapter draws on interviews with 41 older adults (aged 65+) living in Toronto, Canada. Our interviews debunk myths of older adults as being "digital immigrants" with no knowledge and understanding of digital media. They show how older adults are integrating digital media into their everyday lives and benefiting from their unique affordances. We present a typology that shows the older adults' variability in the adoption and use of digital media and includes six different clusters: Non Users, Reluctants, Apprehensives, Basic Users, Go-Getters, and Savvy Users. We further examine the digital skills of East York older adults through self-reports on skill level and assess the ways in which their skill level constrains their engagement in a range of online activities.

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