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A Systematic Literature Review of Social Network Systems for Older Adults

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Product-Focused Software Process Improvement (PROFES 2017)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 10611))

Abstract

Background. The proportion of older adults (OAs) is increasing throughout the developed world. Social isolation is a recognised problem for this sector. Technology is regarded as a possible way to create a more inclusive society, where for example social network systems (SNSs) can keep OAs in contact with local communities, create new communities, reduce adverse impact of geographic separation, reduced mobility and lifestyle changes. Objective. As end-users of SNSs, this paper looks at the current state of practice of SNSs for OAs. We explore what OAs think about SNSs, what they want from SNSs and whether these needs are met. Method. Taking a snowballing approach, we examined 51 primary studies on SNSs for OAs. Results. There is a discernible increase in SNSs designed for OAs since 2005, which claim to meet needs such as simplicity, ease of use, privacy and access to useful information. Yet, sustained use over time is unknown. Conclusion. SNSs remain a potential way to reduce the social isolation of OAs, however the extent to which SNSs can replace real human contact is largely unexplored, as is whether SNSs can trigger the creation of new supportive communities.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported, in part, by Science Foundation Ireland grant 13/RC/2094 & co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund through the Southern & Eastern Regional Operational Programme to Lero - the Irish Software Research Centre (www.lero.ie).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lero, The Irish Software Research Centre, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Bilal Ahmad, Ita Richardson & Sarah Beecham

Authors
  1. Bilal Ahmad
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  2. Ita Richardson
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  3. Sarah Beecham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bilal Ahmad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Michael Felderer

  2. Technical University Munich, Garching, Germany

    Daniel Méndez Fernández

  3. Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom

    Burak Turhan

  4. Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Marcos Kalinowski

  5. University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Federica Sarro

  6. Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria

    Dietmar Winkler

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Ahmad, B., Richardson, I., Beecham, S. (2017). A Systematic Literature Review of Social Network Systems for Older Adults. In: Felderer, M., Méndez Fernández, D., Turhan, B., Kalinowski, M., Sarro, F., Winkler, D. (eds) Product-Focused Software Process Improvement. PROFES 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10611. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69926-4_38

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69926-4_38

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