| Sumario: | Purpose Digitization has become an inherent part of later life, but we are only beginning to understand what this means for the experience of ageing. The subjective experience of being connected is an essential ingredient supporting continued wellbeing in later life. This includes dimensions related, among others, to playfulness, leisure, health and social participation. So, it is important to get insight into the use of digital devices and the role they play in maintaining existing and shaping new forms of social connectedness. Today, smartphones are being increasingly used by people in their everyday life. But we still lack insight into the characteristics and dynamics of their use and its impact on social connectedness. For this reason we will first review empirical studies on older people's smartphone use in everyday life, and we will then present the preliminary results of our empirical study, part of the international research project BConnect@Home (2) that we conducted in Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden in 2019 (1). Method We present data of different and similar trends in how older persons use smartphones in their home and other locations in these four countries, collected by tracking smartphone and mobile app activity patterns of 400 individuals (100 per country) between 55 and 79 years old. We map and trace the use of their smartphones in a comparative perspective, combining quantitative and qualitative data (i.e., tracking activity patterns during one month, a survey, and interviews focussed on how older people experience their smartphone use related to their sense of social connectedness). Results & Discussion Using theoretical cues from the emerging body of critical studies in ageing and technology, we aim to illuminate how digital mobile practices shape notions and forms of social connectedness, rather than merely impacting on them. To conclude, we ponder how practitioners of gerontechnology can meaningfully link to existing digital practices of older people.
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