Abstract
The digital citizenship of older migrants in Australia is a complex picture. As older adults, they are part of one of the least digitally included groups; yet, as migrants, they also represent one of the most digitally included groups. Drawing on ethnographic research documenting the experiences of older migrants, we argue that digital citizenship is vital to their wellbeing, evident in the practices and processes of ‘digital kinning’ that support their transnational care networks (Baldassar and Wilding, ‘Migration, aging, and digital kinning: The role of distant care support networks in experiences of aging well’. The Gerontologist, 60(2): 313–321, 2020). Access to digital technologies is also a significant equity issue, given the increasing shift of critical health and aged care service delivery from face-to-face to online platforms, including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine the uneven nature of access to both digital infrastructure and digital literacy initiatives, including in residential aged care settings. In conclusion, we call for a comprehensive policy framework to safeguard their digital inclusion.
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Notes
- 1.
Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources/digital-citizenship.
- 2.
Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://digitalinclusionindex.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TLS_ADII_Report-2019_Final_web_.pdf.
- 3.
Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-08/research-digital-lives-Mar-2015.pdf.
- 4.
‘High level’ of digital literacy applies to those who perform online transactions at least once a week (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, 2018).
- 5.
Retrieved July 20, 2020 from: https://www.csi.edu.au/media/2019_ADII_Report.pdf.
- 6.
For example, see Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.amanaliving.com.au/news-publications/news/2018/05/fighting-loneliness-digital-inclusion.
- 7.
Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 states that everyone has the right to ‘seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers’.
- 8.
Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/background-paper-human-rights-cyberspace/8-right-access-internet.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a Discovery Project grant from the Australian Research Council (DP160102552) and a Mobility Plus fellowship from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland. This research would not have been possible without the contributions of over 150 older Australians and their family members. We are grateful for their time, insights and engagement in the research process. We also acknowledge the support and contributions of an excellent team of research associates who have supported data collection and analysis, including Rosa Brandhorst, Shashini Gamage, Andrew Gilbert, Anne Mette Juul, Harinder Kaur, Kiran Kaur, Htoogay Ku, Cheng Yen Loo, Adele Millard, Samiro Mohamud, Rachel McMinn, Thi Hien Nguyen, Lwe Pree, Emanuela Sala, Catriona Stevens and Shane Worrell.
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Baldassar, L., Wilding, R., Krzyzowski, L., Mihelcic, J. (2022). Digital Citizenship for Older Migrants in Australia: The Need for a Comprehensive Policy Framework. In: Tsatsou, P. (eds) Vulnerable People and Digital Inclusion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94122-2_7
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