Big data tells you what the elderly are busy with when they go online?

This era does not only belong to young people.

In the face of a rapidly changing world, the lives of the elderly are also changing, with more and more elderly people "touching the Internet". Let's talk about the Internet life of grandparents, parents and grandparents!

Data from the seventh national census showed that the population aged 60 and above has reached 264 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population. Along with this, the penetration of smartphones and the Internet has accelerated, and more and more elderly people are beginning to "go online". According to data released by the China Internet Network Information Center, from June 2016 to June 2021, the number of netizens aged 60 and above in my country has been expanding, with an increase of nearly 100 million people in five years. From March to June 2020, the number of netizens aged 60 and above increased significantly, with an increase of 36 million people, which shows that since the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic, more and more elderly people have become "newcomers" on the Internet.

The report "Research on Internet Adaptation for Aging in the Post-Pandemic Era" released by the Institute of Social Development Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows that compared with survey data in 2017 and 2021, the proportion of elderly people who feel that they cannot do without the Internet in their lives has increased from 57.50% to 93.67%.

What do older people do when they go online?

Although they came late, the enthusiasm of the elderly on the Internet is no less than that of the young. The "2020 Report on Internet Life of the Elderly" shows that the average daily Internet usage time of elderly users over 60 years old is 64.8 minutes.

The elderly are no longer satisfied with the use of the Internet for communication and information acquisition. They have begun to use mobile payments, engage in elderly social networking, sing karaoke, and shoot videos. They have built a unique way of using the Internet based on their own life experiences.

Short videos have become a powerful tool for the elderly to "kill time". They not only like to watch them, but also like to shoot them themselves. According to the survey data of "Research on Internet Adaptation for Aging in the Post-epidemic Era", more than 90% of the elderly interviewed will watch videos online. The short video content that the elderly like has obvious characteristics of the times and the breath of life. Health and wellness, news and information, and funny and humorous content are the first choice of short video content for many elderly groups to watch; secondly, content about common sense of life and food is also very popular. The elderly who have experienced the vicissitudes of life still like the taste of fireworks.

In addition, more than 80% of the elderly respondents would go online to read novels and articles, and 23.26% of the elderly respondents would play mobile games.

The upgrade of aging-friendly features makes the elderly more and more "6" online

At a time when the Internet has penetrated into every aspect of life, it has become a rigid demand for the elderly to use mobile phones, but they will encounter many practical difficulties in the process of using them. The report "Research on Internet Adaptation for the Elderly in the Post-Pandemic Era" points out that the obstacles faced by the elderly in digital life are network access and software operation; another obstacle that may be overlooked is network security.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

How to help the elderly cross the "digital divide"? The "Survey Report on the Use of Short Videos by Middle-aged and Elderly People" shows that when encountering "digital difficulties", more than half of the middle-aged and elderly people first turn to their children for help. However, in order for the elderly to board the digital train with peace of mind, we still hope that more smart services suitable for the elderly with fewer routines and more security will enter their lives.

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Yuan Xin, professor of Nankai University School of Economics and director of Nankai University's Strategic Research Center for Governance of an Aging Society, believes that the key to the adaptation of Internet products to the elderly is "simplification" to motivate the elderly to learn. Only when the elderly are willing to use them can they use them well. With the development of the adaptation of the Internet to the elderly, under the guidance of documents such as the General Design Specifications for the Adaptation of Mobile Internet Applications (APPs) to the Elderly, it is believed that more and more APPs will continue to optimize in terms of perceptibility, operability, comprehensibility, compatibility and security, so that more elderly people can feel the intelligence and efficiency of the Internet era.

Original title: "What are the elderly busy doing when they go online | Thinker Mathematics"

Planning: Liu Juan

Producer: Li Xiaoyun Tang Hui

Author: Wang Xinrong

Design: Li Quan

Editor: Huang Jiexin

Proofreading: Xie Yipeng

Co-produced by: Xinhuanet Sike Xinhuanet 5G Rich Media Lab