The Internet has become a fundamental element for senior proactivity in Spain, and 47.7% consider themselves ‘Able’ or ‘Daring’ in the digital world. This is revealed by a study by the Recognised Research Group BRECHDIG, directed by the professor Leopoldo Abad Alcalá, who has published an article in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.  It establishes a taxonomy of silver surfers based on their use of the internet and ICTs, with special attention to their behaviour towards e-commerce and digital administration. The study was carried out by researchers María Sánchez Valle from CEU San Pablo University, and Carmen Llorente Barroso and Mónica Viñarás Abad from the Complutense University of Madrid.

"The ‘Able’ and the ‘Daring’ make up the largest groups, which coincide with the categories of older internet users who are most active and digitally prepared. However, the third largest group of silver surfers is the ‘Sceptics’, who show limited use of the internet and acknowledge having a low level of digital competencies," explains Sánchez Valle.

The two most common silver surfer profiles in Spain carry out a wide variety of online tasks such as using WhatsApp, social networks, email or reading digital newspapers, searching for information on the internet, using online banking and e-commerce, and/or conducting digital procedures with the government. "24.2% of the surveyed population over 60 years old is included in the ‘Able’ group, and they perform all the digital activities tested in the research except for electronic banking. The second largest cluster, the ‘Daring’, is made up of 23.5% of participants, and they use the internet for all the analysed purposes except for online searches," details María Sánchez Valle.

Far from these two profiles, the third most abundant group is the 'Sceptics', representing 17.8% of the sample, and unlike the previous two groups, they have a much more limited variety of uses. Sánchez Valle reports: "Sceptics voluntarily give up the opportunities offered to them by online banking, e-commerce, and digital administration. Basic internet use is the most widespread among this group, although online purchases and management are activities that 'silver surfers,' in general, are increasingly carrying out with greater frequency and freedom."

The results show that there is no constant pattern in the use of the internet nor a homogeneous level of digital capital among this demographic group. To some extent, these findings correspond to the considerable differences that older adults show in their perception of digital security associated with e-commerce and e-government, as well as to the various levels of confidence these online tasks inspire.

This research by the BRECHDIG Group is part of the PROVULDIG2 project (New Scenarios for Digital Vulnerability Program: Media Literacy for an Inclusive Society PROVULDIG2-CM, Ref .: H2019 / HUM-5775). This project brings together and coordinates the institutional, informative, and research actions of six consolidated Communication Research groups at Madrid's CEU San Pablo, Rey Juan Carlos, Complutense, and Villanueva International Universities.

More information:

Llorente-Barroso, C., Sánchez-Valle, M. & Viñarás-Abad, M. (2023). The role of the Internet in later life autonomy: Silver surfers in Spain. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 56. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01536-x