Opening the Digital Pandora΄s Box : The Grey Digital Divide in Greece

• Older adults constitute a viable resource in some countries of the European Union (EU), which is not found in the social margin that predominantly occurs in Greece. These countries have realised that the usage of digital technologies (ICT’s and the Internet) is an important tool for activating older adults, reducing their loneliness and a first-class opportunity for improving their daily life, e.g. through the use of telemedicine. By contrast, in Greece, which is defined by a rapidly ageing population, the discussion on the “grey digital divide” (the lack of access/usage of digital technologies) in relation to older individuals remains a problem that has not yet been sufficiently explored, while the formal policy is still at an embryonic stage with significant consequences for the entire Greek society. To conclude, the digital divide in Greece is a multi-dimensional matter that reflects the chronic pathogenies of the Greek state and a lack of political imagination to change the current situation.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Mänsklig interaktion med IKT (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Human Aspects of ICT (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Grey digital divide

older people

digital technologies

Greece

Political Science

Statskunskap

Publication and Content Type

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