Social Science Research on Technology and the Elderly - Does it Exist?

Despite the fact that old people´s technological needs have been given much attention
to in the last decennium, especially old users of information- and communication
technology, technology has not found its natural place in research on ageing in
modern societies. This article examines to what extent social science research exist
in the field of ageing and technology and where we can find the interface between
technological and social science expertise. Scientific publications during the period
1983-2002 are analysed in terms of theoretical content, the role of the elderly as
being regarded as objects or subjects, and if technology is called into question in
any respect. Scientific well-grounded knowledge exist besides less well-substantiated
assumptions regarding the effects of technology and a premature body of
thoughts on the relationship between technology and the elderly.

Keywords: ageing, technology, technology studies