Mobile telephony and older people: Exploring use and rejection

Age is a factor that has a bearing on the adoption and use of mobile telephony. Most of the available evidence in the field focuses on teenagers and young adults. To make up for the lack of research on older people, we explore the distinctive characteristics of mobile phone use among senior citizens. Our research is set in Barcelona and its metropolitan area (Catalonia, Spain). We analyse the role played by mobile telephony in the personal system of communication channels for a sample of seniors in this area. The sample includes non-users of mobile phones to give a better understanding of the motivations behind adoption and rejection. We analyse the logic regarding the adoption, or not, of mobile phones together with some of the particular features and how older people appropriate them. A more comprehensive analysis takes account of the available communication channels and individuals’ combined use of different communication channels. We also suggest classifying older users of mobile phone.