Gendered pathways to successful aging in a digital society: a longitudinal study of social media usage and travel consumption

Purpose China’s population is rapidly aging amidst increasing societal digitization, yet the impact of digitization on older adults remains underexplored. The purpose of this study is to integrate the activity theory of aging and social influence theory to examine how social media usage and travel consumption influence successful aging. Design/methodology/approach This study used longitudinal panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which included 12,287 respondents aged 55 years and above. Fixed-effects models, generalized structural equation modeling and likelihood ratio tests were used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Social media usage significantly enhances successful aging, both directly and indirectly through travel consumption. The effects are more pronounced among females and older adults with fewer travel constraints. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to explore the triadic relationship and underlying mechanisms between older adults’ social media usage, travel decisions and successful aging, extending the activity theory of aging beyond physical and social activities to encompass digital interactions. These findings contribute to understanding how digital engagement supports aging populations in rapidly digitizing societies.