A Study Of The Effect Of Internet Use On Life Satisfaction Among The Older Adults

In recent years,the size of China’s elderly population has continued to expand and the problem of population aging has been intensifying.Caring for the quality of life of the older adults and enhancing their sense of access,happiness and security are inevitable requirements for realizing the strategy of active aging.The widespread and in-depth use of the Internet has created new opportunities for implementing the national strategy of actively addressing population aging and enriching the lives of the elderly,but it also brings new challenges-the "digital divide" of the older adults.Based on the 2020 China Family Tracking Survey(CFPS),this study explores the impact and the path of influence of Internet use(including the use and content of use)on the life satisfaction of Chinese older adults aged 60 and above from the perspectives of social comparison theory,digital divide theory and social support theory,using a combination of Ordered probit analysis,propensity score matching,stepwise test coefficient method and KHB mediation test.In order to provide empirical references for accelerating the bridging of the digital divide among older adults.The study found that:(1)Internet use had a significant negative impact on life satisfaction.Compared with the non-Internet-using group,the probability of very high life satisfaction was lower among the older adults in the using group.(2)Online learning,use of We Chat,swipe short video,and online shopping also had a negative effect on life satisfaction.The probability of very high life satisfaction was lower for the older adults who studied online,used We Chat,used short videos,and shopped online relative to those who did not study online,used We Chat,used short videos,and shopped online.(3)Subjective social status and interpersonal relationships were significant mediators of Internet use and life satisfaction.Subjective social status to some extent mediated the negative effects of Internet use,We Chat use and short video swiping on life satisfaction,while interpersonal relationships to some extent obscured the negative effects of Internet use,We Chat use and short video swiping on life satisfaction.Thus,it can be seen that in order to make the older adults fully enjoy the digital dividend,we cannot only help the older adults to enter the Internet from technology,but also solve the Internet adaptation problem of the older adults.Based on this,it is recommended to promote Internet adaptation to build a digital-friendly society;widely carry out Internet adaptation education for the older adults to bridge the digital "skills divide";respect the Internet subjectivity of the older adults to enhance their Internet discourse;strengthen Internet content governance to enhance their Internet safety awareness.In this way,the barriers to digital technology use among the older adults can be solved,and the older adults can share the fruits of digital development and live a happy life in their old age.