IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v11y2022i5p191-d802516.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Technological Utopias: Loneliness and Rural Contexts in Western Iberia

Author

Listed:
  • Borja Rivero Jiménez

    (Department of Anthropology and Philosophy, National University of Distance Education (UNED), 28012 Madrid, Spain)

  • David Conde-Caballero

    (Department of Nursing, University of Extremadura (Uex), 10003 Cáceres, Spain)

  • Lorenzo Mariano Juárez

    (Department of Nursing, University of Extremadura (Uex), 10003 Cáceres, Spain)

Abstract

Background: Urbanisation and rural migration in some areas of Spain and Portugal have given rise to rural contexts largely defined by ageing and depopulation. Rural populations have suffered from increasing social isolation, with older people living alone in villages with very few inhabitants and limited access to services. The aim of this study is to analyse the extent to which technology serve as a strategy to improve social relations and how technology influences older adults’ loneliness, its uses, meanings, experiences, and perceptions. Methods: Ethnographic research is conducted in several locations in the border area between Spain and Portugal, supported by semi-structured interviews with 17 rural subjects aged 65 years and older. Results: The results underline two main points. Participants’ definitions point to loneliness as an experience built around nostalgia for those who are no longer there, where the disappearance of rituals in the community also leads to a lack of “social happiness”. Conclusions: We note low levels of digital literacy skills and competence among our participants, with most of them rejecting any technology beyond analogue devices.

Suggested Citation

  • Borja Rivero Jiménez & David Conde-Caballero & Lorenzo Mariano Juárez, 2022. "Technological Utopias: Loneliness and Rural Contexts in Western Iberia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:5:p:191-:d:802516
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/5/191/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/5/191/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kexin Yu & Shinyi Wu & Iris Chi & Deborah Carr, 2021. "Internet Use and Loneliness of Older Adults Over Time: The Mediating Effect of Social Contact [The relation between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling ," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(3), pages 541-550.
    2. Martin Pinquart & Silvia Sörensen, 2007. "Correlates of Physical Health of Informal Caregivers: A Meta-Analysis," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(2), pages 126-137.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cinzia Di Novi & Rowena Jacobs & Matteo Migheli, 2013. "The quality of life of female informal caregivers: from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Sea," Working Papers 084cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    2. Thin Nyein Nyein Aung & Myo Nyein Aung & Saiyud Moolphate & Yuka Koyanagi & Siripen Supakankunti & Motoyuki Yuasa, 2021. "Caregiver Burden and Associated Factors for the Respite Care Needs among the Family Caregivers of Community Dwelling Senior Citizens in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Eve Wittenberg & Adrianna Saada & Lisa Prosser, 2013. "How Illness Affects Family Members: A Qualitative Interview Survey," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 6(4), pages 257-268, December.
    4. Laia Calvó-Perxas & Joan Vilalta-Franch & Howard Litwin & Oriol Turró-Garriga & Pedro Mira & Josep Garre-Olmo, 2018. "What seems to matter in public policy and the health of informal caregivers? A cross-sectional study in 12 European countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-12, March.
    5. Barbara Barbosa Neves & Jenny Waycott & Alexia Maddox, 2023. "When Technologies are Not Enough: The Challenges of Digital Interventions to Address Loneliness in Later Life," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 28(1), pages 150-170, March.
    6. Lara Lopez & Fernando L. Vázquez & Ángela J. Torres & Patricia Otero & Vanessa Blanco & Olga Díaz & Mario Páramo, 2020. "Long-Term Effects of a Cognitive Behavioral Conference Call Intervention on Depression in Non-Professional Caregivers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-24, November.
    7. Marie Blaise & Laetitia Dillenseger, 2023. "Informal Caregivers and Life Satisfaction: Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 1883-1930, August.
    8. Carmen K.M. Ng & Dara K.Y. Leung & Xinxin Cai & Gloria H.Y. Wong, 2021. "Perceived Help-Seeking Difficulty, Barriers, Delay, and Burden in Carers of People with Suspected Dementia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    9. Young Kyung Do & Edward C. Norton & Sally C. Stearns & Courtney Harold Van Houtven, 2015. "Informal Care and Caregiver's Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 224-237, February.
    10. Furkan Tosyali & Ezgi Coban-Tosyali & Mehmet Harma, 2024. "Predictors of Subjective Health Among Spouses and Its Relations With Happiness: A Multilevel Analysis in a Nationwide Survey in Turkey," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 1-20, August.
    11. Miller, Ray & Sedai, Ashish Kumar, 2022. "Opportunity costs of unpaid caregiving: Evidence from panel time diaries," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    12. Ignacio Gimeno & Sonia Val & María Jesús Cardoso Moreno, 2021. "Relation among Caregivers’ Burden, Abuse and Behavioural Disorder in People with Dementia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-16, January.
    13. Costa-Font, Joan & Vilaplana-Prieto, Cristina, 2023. "Caregiving subsidies and spousal early retirement intentions," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 550-589, October.
    14. Afeez Abiola Hazzan & Pamela Beach & Lauren J. Lieberman & Cassidy Regan, 2023. "Home-Based Pilot Intervention to Improve Quality of Life and Related Outcomes among Unpaid Caregivers and Their Care-Recipients with Visual Impairments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-12, February.
    15. Moira Mckniff & Stephanie M. Simone & Tania Giovannetti, 2023. "Age, Loneliness, and Social Media Use in Adults during COVID-19: A Latent Profile Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-12, May.
    16. Christina E. Miyawaki & Erin D. Bouldin & Christopher A. Taylor & Lisa C. McGuire, 2021. "Baby Boomers Who Provide Informal Care for People Living with Dementia in the Community," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-10, September.
    17. Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah & Inge Kroidl & Michael Hoelscher & Olena Ivanova & Jonathan Mensah Dapaah, 2019. "A Phenomenological Account of HIV Disclosure Experiences of Children and Adolescents from Northern and Southern Ghana," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-19, February.
    18. Wang, Wei-Pang & Wu, Li-Hsueh & Zhang, Wei & Tsay, Ruey-Ming, 2019. "Culturally-specific productive engagement and self-rated health among Taiwanese older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 79-86.
    19. László Árpád Kostyál & Zsuzsa Széman & Virág Erzsébet Almási & Paolo Fabbietti & Sabrina Quattrini & Marco Socci & Cristina Gagliardi, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Health and Experience of the Carers of Older Family Members Living with Dementia: An Italian–Hungarian Comparative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-29, April.
    20. Marie Blaise & Laetitia Dillenseger, 2020. "Informal caregivers and life satisfaction: Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands," Working Papers of BETA 2020-55, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:5:p:191-:d:802516. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.