Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Risk Perception and Age
2. Analytical Framework and Research Questions
2.1. Risks Associated with Mobile Telephony
2.2. The Role of the Media
2.3. Understanding the Two Cultural Contexts: Romania and Catalonia, Spain
2.4. Research Questions
3. Methodology
4. Results
4.1. Older Individuals’ Risk Perceptions and Media Discourses
4.2. Me Versus the Others: Risk Perception Can Depend on Who Faces the Risk
I don’t know if it’s true or false. Me, until they prove the opposite, I feel it has no health disadvantages.(Woman, 96, Barcelona)
I never wear it on my body but always there, in the purse. Because (…) I don’t know to what extent radiations are good or bad, it hasn’t been proven.(Woman, 66, Barcelona)
Not one. There’re people who say that antennas affect health. There’re people who oppose having an antenna on their roof. (…) It’s possible these antennas may have a [negative] influence, I don’t know, I don’t really believe it but it could be.(Man, 88, Barcelona)
I usually don’t answer if I don’t recognize the number. They [people with commercial offers] always call me. I learned to recognize them in a second and then I just hang up. I don’t need them.(Man, 76, Bucharest)
Well, I don’t know to what extent this kind of radiation can harm me for [being exposed] minutes. Also, as I don’t usually wear [the mobile], I put it in my purse (…) I don’t think there is any effect. Maybe for those who spend twenty-four hours a day attached to the mobile phone, maybe there’s [a negative effect].(Woman, 60, Barcelona)
There’re questions about the influence on our health. Specialists are going to research to see if there’s any effect. I don’t talk so much, but my daughter, she talks for hours [on the mobile] plus she uses a computer at work. I believe in time a person could be negatively influenced by this.(Woman, 63, Bucharest)
4.3. Perceived Risk and Uncertainty of Mobile Communication
Who knows what will happen in the future? I will probably not live to tell, but I’m worried about all children, who spend hours on computers and telephones; and in which way this will affect their health. New types of diseases will come from the use of all these [technologies].(Woman, 65, Bucharest)
I have read something in a newspaper about radiations caused by the mobile phone. It was not clear to me and I am wondering if they are telling the truth. I mean, they are interested in selling the products, right? Then, you see […] in Romania, they [authorities] never do the right thing when people’s lives are in danger.(Man, 67, Bucharest)
I took the [prepaid] card; I put it in the telephone on Friday and Monday I had nothing. They’d stolen my money. When I called them [the company], they said I had used it [my airtime], but it wasn’t true. Dominica [a friend] called them and made a scandal because this had also happened to her twice. But I think it was Adela [the post office attendant who actually inserted the card in the phone] who took them.(Woman, 70, rural Romania)
I have seen on TV that they would call you and ask for information about your bank account or they would say that your son had an accident and then by the time you came to your senses, the money was gone. I know they target old people; I mean nobody tried this with me, but I know somebody who was left without savings.(Man, 63, Bucharest)
I would like to learn more about the use of Facebook. I have an account, but I don’t use it. I’ve been an engineer for 30 years, and I know how easily somebody can access your account when you use certain applications. So, I am more interested in finding out more about security issues when using Facebook. Well, I have to admit that my wife convinced me to come to this workshop.(Man, 65, Bucharest)
We have to learn if we don’t want to be left behind… I have three tablets, and in the beginning, I thought I would never learn to use a tablet. I thought I was not capable enough. People like me think like this, and I would like to tell them that nothing is that difficult and they have to try because this is the direction in which society is moving.(Woman, 63, Bucharest)
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions and Implications for Future Research
7. Limitations and Future Work
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Ivan, L.; Fernández-Ardèvol, M. Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks. Societies 2017, 7, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc7020007
Ivan L, Fernández-Ardèvol M. Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks. Societies. 2017; 7(2):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc7020007
Chicago/Turabian StyleIvan, Loredana, and Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol. 2017. "Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks" Societies 7, no. 2: 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc7020007
APA StyleIvan, L., & Fernández-Ardèvol, M. (2017). Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks. Societies, 7(2), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc7020007