The Technological Advent and Dynamics of the Network Society. The "Middle-Aged Approach"

Abstract

Nowadays, scholars have become interested in the ways new media influence young people, but its influence on middle-aged people have not been thoroughly examined. This age category is often ignored as most of the online activities are performed by young persons. New media gathers a wide range of phenomena which may become concepts of the network society through their diversity, knowledge and novelty. Interactivity is the most important characteristic, turning the user into a content creator, not just into a receiver. Moreover, what was once considered to be a personal state of mind tends to become a part of the public domain. Starting from these premises, the article advances the idea that the Internet can be beneficial not just for teenagers, but also for the middle-aged group oriented towards keeping in touch with relatives and friends and towards finding online useful information. At this level, the present paper aims to discover directions given by network society in the lives of middle-aged people. To this end, the research relies on an interview-based survey which addresses the way people may adapt to communication technology and to its particularities, exploring advantages or discovering potential drawbacks.