Technology Adoption by Elderly People - An Empirical Analysis of Adopters and Non-Adopters of Social Networking Sites

This research paper analyzes the impact of attitudinal, control and normative beliefs on the intention to use social network sites (SNS) by people older than 50. Using the Model of Adoption of Technology in Households (MATH) and the data of 115 social network site adopters and 53 non-adopters it can be shown that the intention of adopters and non-adopters has been influenced by different reasons. Perceived Ease of Use and Normative Beliefs have only a significant impact for adopters. Moreover, this research paper unfolds Fear of Technology as a strong influence factor for non-adopters in regard not to use SNS in their daily routine. The paper concludes with a discussion of an age-sensitive design of SNS in order to address the digital divide.