ABSTRACT

The elderly benefit from using the Internet for various purposes, and achieving Internet literacy is essential for their participation as digital citizens. This study investigates the levels and influential factors of Internet literacy among 534 elderly in Thailand. The results showed that the participants had an intermediate level of Internet literacy overall. Most of the elderly had solid knowledge and skills in using digital tools and applying strategies to obtain information from reliable resources online. They could also communicate and protect their personal information on online platforms. However, some of the participants lacked experience and skills in identifying spam emails, and they neglected to report illegal online content and violence to the relevant government sectors. The participants’ Internet literacy levels did not vary by profession, frequency of internet access, and amount of time spent online per day. Instead, it was affected by education level, device type, and length of experience using the Internet. Future studies may focus on developing effective strategies to help senior citizens obtain higher levels of Internet literacy and explore qualitative data on their attitudes, needs, and concerns about Internet use, to build a safe Internet environment for elderly users.

摘要

老年人因各种目的使用互联网而受益，而实现互联网素养对于他们作为数字公民的参与至关重要。本研究调查了泰国 534 名老年人的网络素养水平和影响因素。结果表明，参与者的互联网素养总体上处于中等水平。大多数老年人在使用数字工具和应用策略从可靠的在线资源获取信息方面拥有扎实的知识和技能。他们还可以在在线平台上交流和保护他们的个人信息。然而，部分参与者缺乏识别垃圾邮件的经验和技能，忽视向相关政府部门举报网络违法内容和暴力行为。参与者的互联网素养水平不会因职业、互联网访问频率和每天上网时间而有所不同。相反，它受到教育水平、设备类型和互联网使用经验的影响。未来的研究可能侧重于制定有效的策略，帮助老年人获得更高水平的互联网素养，并探索有关他们对互联网使用的态度、需求和担忧的定性数据，为老年人打造一个安全的互联网环境。