Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31817808›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2019

Friends or Frenemies? The Role of Social Technology in the Lives of Older People.

Tina Ten Bruggencate, Katrien G Luijkx, Janienke Sturm

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Time and Frequency of Social Media Use and Loneliness Among U.S. Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. The Progress of Smart Elderly Care Research: A Scientometric Analysis Based on CNKI and WOS.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Quality of Life: The Interplay between Human Behaviour, Technology and the Environment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Tina Ten BruggencateDepartment of Tranzo, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Katrien G LuijkxDepartment of Tranzo, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Janienke SturmChair of People and Technology, Institute for HRM and Psychology, Fontys University of Applied Science, 5612 AR Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

By having a healthy and happy social life, social needs are fulfilled. When social needs are not fulfilled, loneliness and social isolation can occur, which have negative consequences for one's physical and mental health. Social technology, technology that enables social interaction, can be a resource to fulfil the social needs of older people. In this study, we aimed to learn what role social technology plays in the social life of older people. We held 15 interviews with people aged over 70 who regularly use some form of social technology. Our results indicate that social technology plays different roles in the lives of older people. It strengthens the existing social relationships and social structures. It also brings depth and fun to the social contacts of older people and in this way, enriches their social lives. Social technology also gives a sense of safety and peace of mind to the older people themselves but also to their network members. However, there are barriers in the use of social technology. The older people struggled with using social technology and feel that social technology sometimes stands in the way of real human contact. In supporting and facilitating people's relationship with others, a community and society, technology helps fulfil older people's need for connectedness, meaningfulness and independence. However, the relationship with independence is ambiguous. Their life experience gives older people a thoughtful way of looking at social technology and the role it plays in their lives.

Indexed as

FriendsInterpersonal RelationsLonelinessSocial IsolationSocial MediaAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHealth StatusHumansMaleMental HealthSocial Networkinginterventionsolder peoplesocial lifesocial needssocial technology

Identifiers

PMID31817808
PMCPMC6950725

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.