Literacy and digital skills among older adults
Field evolution, intellectual structure, and research fronts: a bibliometric analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23882/emss26392Keywords:
Older people, digital literacy, digital competence, digital skills, digital divideAbstract
Digitalisation of public services, health care, finance, and communication is reshaping the conditions of social participation in later life. This bibliometric review examines the evolution, intellectual structure, and research fronts of scholarship on digital literacy, digital competence, digital skills, and ICT literacy among older people. The study analyses 129 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2012 and 2025. Performance indicators, author-keyword cooccurrence, cited-source analysis, and temporal keyword comparisons are combined. The field expanded markedly in 2025. Its conceptual structure links digital literacy with participation and well-being, digital divide and inclusion, and practical digital skills in ageing. The intellectual base is anchored in work on inequalities in online skills, Internet use, and technology acceptance. Recent research fronts connect ICT, quality of life, digital health, mental health, and literacy. The results stress that access to devices alone is insufficient: meaningful digital participation depends on social support, accessible design, relevant learning, and the continuing availability of non-digital alternatives.
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