Learning from seniors in network communities

We conducted an ethnographic study of SeniorNet, an organization focused on helping seniors gain access to computing technology. Our research examines the social and cultural context of access to computing, with a particular focus on the role of community. Our study of SeniorNet has helped us understand the nature of seniors as a group, as we have immersed ourselves in the uniquely supportive and cohesive communities of SeniorNet. At the same time, our stereotypes of seniors have been challenged as we have come to understand the diversity that the category of "senior" so incompletely describes. This diversity has implications for how we approach access issues for the senior population and as we consider the benefits of computing for seniors as well as benefits for others in interacting with seniors.