@article {6438,
	title = {Mapping the Two Levels of Digital Divide: Internet Access and Social Network Site Adoption among Older Adults in the USA},
	journal = {Information, Communication and Society},
	volume = {19},
	year = {2016},
	pages = {1445-1464},
	chapter = {1445},
	abstract = {Older adults have increasingly adopted Internet and social network sites (SNSs), but little communication scholarship has explored systematic differences in access within this population. Using a nationally representative sample of Americans over the age of 50 years from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study, we examine Internet access (N?=?18,851) and SNS adoption patterns (N?=?869) among this sample and explore how these patterns vary by age. Regarding Internet access, results suggest that while the gender divide has reversed in favor of women, older adults who are economically, socioculturally, or physically disadvantaged are less likely to have reliable Internet access. In addition, the view that the various divides in Internet access are less of a concern for those who are younger is only partially supported, as some access-related divides do not vary by age or even decrease with age. For SNS adoption, we found that access to technological resources (diversity of online activities) positively predicts SNS use. Moreover, SNS users are more likely to be younger, female, widowed, and homemakers, perhaps because these individuals are more motivated to use SNSs to complement or compensate for their existing social status. These findings reveal unique challenges and motivations in relation to Internet access and SNS adoption patterns across the later life span.},
	keywords = {Demographics, Health Conditions and Status},
	doi = {10.1080/1369118X.2015.1109695},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1109695},
	author = {Rebecca P. Yu and Nicole B. Ellison and Ryan J McCammon and Kenneth M. Langa}
}
@article {8213,
	title = {The relationships that matter: social network site use and social wellbeing among older adults in the United States of America},
	journal = {Ageing and Society},
	year = {2015},
	note = {Export Date: 9 September 2015 Article in Press},
	abstract = {An increasing number of middle-aged and older Americans are using social network sites (SNSs), but little research has addressed how SNS use is associated with social wellbeing outcomes in this population. Using a nationally representative sample of 1,620 Americans older than 50 from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we examine the relationship between older adults  SNS use and social wellbeing associated with non-kin and kin relations and explore how these associations vary by age. Results of ordinary least-squares regression analyses suggest that SNS use is positively associated with non-kin-related social wellbeing outcomes, including perceived support from friends (  = 0.13; p   0.001; N = 460) and feelings of connectedness (  = 0.10; p   0.001; N = 463). Regression models employing interaction terms of age and SNS use further reveal that SNS use contributes to feelings of connectedness to a greater extent as people age (  = 0.10; p   0.001; N = 463). Of all kin-related social wellbeing outcomes, SNS use only predicts increased perceived support from children (  = 0.08; p   0.05; N = 410), and age negatively shapes this relationship (  =  0.14; p   0.001; N = 410). As older people engage with an increasingly smaller and narrower network with a greater proportion of kin contacts, our results suggest that SNS use may help older adults access differential social benefits throughout later life. Copyright   Cambridge University Press 2015 This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.},
	keywords = {Adult children, Health Conditions and Status},
	doi = {10.1017/S0144686X15000677},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84934325062andpartnerID=40andmd5=4576f4f7c6bbe43a40f9370e613cde7a},
	author = {R. P. Yu and Ryan J McCammon and Nicole B. Ellison and Kenneth M. Langa}
}
