The Relationship between Smart Phone Addiction and Loneness in Geriatric Individuals
Chapter from the book:
Göngen,
M.
A.
&
Kesgin,
Y.
(eds.)
2023.
New Media Research: Language, Image, Phenomena, Technology, Disinformation.
Synopsis
People who are physically alone in their old age may experience problems in terms of both psychological and physical health. Studies on the subject show that loneliness increases with age (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2001; Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010). Therefore, it is inevitable for elderly individuals to want to engage in various activities in order to evaluate the periods when they are alone. It is thought that the beginning of digitalization in all areas of life and the increase in the use of smart devices are more common especially among individuals who are alone. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and loneliness in geriatric, in other words, elderly individuals. Interviews were conducted with 8 elderly individuals via smartphones, both on Instagram, which is a social media environment, and WhatsApp, which is a phone chat application. At the same time, they became friends with these people on their WhatsApp and Instagram accounts and their profiles were examined in detail for 30 days. In order to make analysis based on gender, 4 individuals were selected as male and 4 individuals as female. At the same time, these interviews were made through certain periods and at the same time, the time intervals they spent on their smart phones were tried to be determined