ICT As a Communication Tool for Older People (aged 80) in an Urban Area

While ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has been spreading dramatically in Japan, little is known about how seniors use it as a tool to communicate with non-relatives.  

The authors conducted interviews with residents (aged 80) of Suginami City, Metropolitan Tokyo, in October and November 2013, regarding communication with non-relatives. A total of 513 people  responded.

   About 60% of the respondents met and spoke with “friends” and “people they have known from childhood”; men were more likely to do so than women. In all types of relationships, a conventional phone was the most popular choice as a usual communication tool, followed by “letter” for “people they have known from childhood”, as well as “face-to-face meeting” and “cell phone” for “friends” and “people in the group they are members of.” In all types of relationships, 10% of the respondents chose “e-mail.” Men were more likely to send e-mails from a computer.

   In North American urban sociology, there is great interest in how the faster communication, resulting from the increasing availability of affordable and efficient transportation and ICT, affects interaction among individuals. As the usage of ICT becomes more common among seniors, the ways the very old persons communicate with others are also expected to change.