Can inclusion feel imposed? Exploring situational digital citizenship through older adults’ encounters with digital health services
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Abstract
Digitalization reforms have reshaped views on ideal citizenship, emphasizing individuals as proactive consumers of digital health services. This shift has introduced opportunities, but also new demands, especially for older adults who face a heightened risk of digital exclusion. In this article, we examine older adults’ experiences with digital health services in Finland. We ask the following: (1) How do older adults experience digital health services in daily life? and (2) How do older adults’ experiences with digital health services shed light on dimensions of digital citizenship? Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 12) with older adults aged 68–80, digital engagement often unfolds along a spectrum shaped by emotional, social, and structural conditions. As a conceptual contribution, we introduce situational digital citizenship to capture the ways older adults participate selectively, under obligation, or with ambivalence while negotiating societal expectations. This perspective highlights digital inclusion as a dynamic process, not as a fixed outcome.
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