To Be, or Not To Be Digital: A Techno-Anthropological investigation of systemic oppression of elderly users through public digital (health) services
Authors
Florentsen, Alexander Dam ; Ladegaard, Sissel Fibecker
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-06-03
Pages
89
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan den omfattende digitalisering af den danske offentlige sektor – særligt inden for sundhed – påvirker ældre borgere, der befinder sig i en “digital gråzone” mellem fuld deltagelse og fritagelse. Med afsæt i en techno-antropologisk tilgang kombinerer vi kvalitative metoder som semistrukturerede interviews og observationer med en gennemgang af offentlige rapporter. Vores feltarbejde omfatter 17 informanter, herunder ældre IT-brugere, frivillige ved IT-hjælpearrangementer, repræsentanter for patientorganisationer og eksperter i digital sundhed. Med kritisk konstruktivisme og e-sundhedsliteracy som analytiske rammer belyser vi, hvordan en teknisk rationalitet i den offentlige digitalisering kan virke undertrykkende og skabe usynlige forventninger, der gør mødet med digitale (sundheds)løsninger demotiverende og forbundet med tvivl på egne evner. Vi finder, at dette har både personlige og sociale konsekvenser for ældre og forringer deres mulighed for at engagere sig i egen sundhed. På den baggrund argumenterer vi for behovet for konkrete indsatser og en tydelig ansvarsplacering for at styrke ældres digitale kompetencer. Specialet skitserer en demokratisk intervention, der samler relevante aktører i et forhandlingsrum om, hvor ansvaret bør placeres, og hvordan der kan skabes bæredygtige ændringer.
This thesis examines how the extensive digitalization of the Danish public sector—particularly in health—affects older citizens who find themselves in a “digital grey zone” between full participation and exemption. Using a techno-anthropological approach, we combine qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and observations with a review of public reports. Our fieldwork includes 17 informants, among them older IT users, volunteers at IT-help events, representatives of patient organizations, and experts in digital health. Drawing on critical constructivism and e-health literacy, we show how an embedded technical rationality in public digitalization can be oppressive and create invisible expectations, making encounters with digital (health) services demotivating and undermining self-confidence. We find that this produces personal and social consequences for older adults and diminishes their ability to engage with their own health. In response, we argue for concrete initiatives and clear allocation of responsibility to strengthen older citizens’ digital competencies. The thesis outlines a democratic intervention that convenes relevant actors in a negotiation space to determine responsibility and design actionable, sustainable changes.
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