"I Want to Connect, But...": Exploring Socially Isolated Older Adults' Views on Social Engagement and Technology for Connecting
Chia Hsin (Josette) Lee, Rachana Nataraj, Aqueasha Martin-Hammond · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility · doi:10.1145/3663547.3746354
Summary
This paper presents a qualitative study examining how socially isolated older adults perceive social engagement and the role technology might play in supporting their connections. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 adults aged 60 to 84 recruited from community centers and senior housing facilities in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Participants were screened using the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) and the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale to identify individuals at risk of social isolation. The study was motivated by growing recognition that social isolation among older adults is a significant public health concern, linked to increased risks of depression, cognitive decline, and mortality. While technology-based interventions have been proposed as solutions, the authors argue that the perspectives of socially isolated older adults themselves are often missing from the design process. The interviews explored participants' social engagement patterns, barriers they face, facilitators that help them connect, their current technology use, and their attitudes toward technology designed to support social connection. The research team used reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns across the data, organizing findings around four major themes: barriers to social engagement, facilitators of connection, technology attitudes and experiences, and design considerations for future social technologies. The study is notable for centering the voices of a population that is frequently studied about but rarely consulted directly in technology design, and for highlighting the complex interplay between health, socioeconomic factors, trust, grief, and the desire for meaningful human connection.
Key findings
The study identified multiple intersecting barriers to social engagement including chronic health conditions (pain, fatigue, mobility limitations, cognitive decline), transportation difficulties, financial constraints, grief from losing family members and friends, and trust and safety concerns particularly in urban environments. Faith communities and senior centers emerged as the primary facilitators of social connection, with church serving as a consistent anchor for many participants. Technology use varied considerably across the sample, with smartphones and tablets being most common. Facebook was the most widely used social media platform, and video calling gained adoption during COVID-19 but declined post-pandemic. Participants expressed significant concerns about technology including scams, privacy violations, misinformation, and impersonation on social media. Several participants described feeling "left behind" by rapid technological changes and experienced frustration with complex interfaces. When discussing design preferences for social technology, participants emphasized wanting tools that support rather than replace existing social routines, interest-based matching with geographically nearby peers, simple and intuitive interfaces that accommodate vision and dexterity limitations, and hybrid approaches that blend digital interaction with in-person meetups. Notably, participants rejected the idea of purely virtual connections as a substitute for face-to-face engagement.
Relevance
This research has direct implications for accessibility practitioners and technology designers working on products for older adults. It demonstrates that social isolation is not simply a technology access problem but involves deeply intertwined physical, emotional, financial, and structural barriers that technology alone cannot address. The findings challenge assumptions that more technology automatically leads to better social outcomes for older adults. For accessibility professionals, the study highlights critical design requirements including accommodating vision and motor limitations, providing simple and predictable interfaces, building trust through transparency about data use, and designing for hybrid digital-physical social experiences. The emphasis on supporting existing social routines rather than imposing new digital-only patterns is particularly relevant for inclusive design practice. The paper also underscores the importance of involving socially isolated older adults directly in participatory design processes rather than relying on proxies or assumptions about their needs and capabilities.
Tags: social isolation · older adults · aging · qualitative research · social technology · digital inclusion · loneliness · accessibility barriers