A Qualitative Exploration of Experiences with Media and Information and Communication Technologies Among Mid-Aged and Older Adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Structuration Theory Perspective

This study explores mid-aged and older adults’ experiences with media and information and communication technology (ICT), using Giddens’ structuration theory. Combining a deductive approach, focusing on the structure shaped by the pro-innovation bias, and an inductive inquiry through in-depth interviews and photovoice, we examined manifestations of agency in participants’ daily use of media/ICTs. Media/ICTs were tightly incorporated in daily routines, reproducing the existing social structure by empowering participants or making them comply with technology adoption, suggesting subverted agency. They showed abstract knowledge of technology benefits and sanctions related to nonuse, as well as subjective practical knowledge. Participants with MCI relied more on household partners in their technology interactions. Media/ICT routines were characterized by circularity and multidimensionality that drove the sense of ontological security. Technology also helped participants manage expectations about temporal and physical changes, adding to the feeling of stability. Participants with MCI were more likely to focus on the present moment when describing technology use, while those without the diagnosis were subjective historians narrating the media/ICT evolution as an institution over decades.