Socio-gerontechnology: Critical Studies of Ageing and Technology

The Socio-gerontechnology network brings together scholars from various social science and design disciplines interested in critical studies of ageing and technology. The network started from a joint interest of scholars in Science and Technology Studies – beginning to see ageing as an important field for critical studies of technology – and Ageing Scholars – beginning to see digitisation and technology as important but under-researched elements of ageing and later life. Our aim is to provide critical social science insights into ageing and technology that will lead to better policies and designs for older people in a digitising world.

The Emergence of the Socio-gerontechnology Field

Globally, the network unites around scholars working in the area. It has emerged from loosely organised conference sessions since 2010 and was formalised during its inaugural meeting in Vienna in 2017. Since then the network organises an annual meeting through open calls. Socio-gerontechnology offers empirically grounded new and more “realistic” ideas about older users, formulates advice and examples for involving social science and humanities perspectives in co-creation processes, and leverages ground-breaking interdisciplinary scholarship to theorise about the increasing relevance of technology in later life.

Social change in the twenty-first century is shaped by both demographic changes associated with ageing societies and significant technological change and development. Outlining the basic principles of a new academic field, this research explores common conceptual, theoretical and methodological ideas that become visible in the critical scholarship on ageing and technology at the intersection of Age Studies and Science and Technology Studies (STS).

The International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG)

Gerontechnology (ISSN/EISSN 1569-1101 1569-111X) is the official journal of the International Society for Gerontechnology. The society tracks history and geographic distribution of attendees at world conferences to promote the development and application of technology in later life. Below is a detailed record of the ISG World Conferences and the participation of various countries.

Location Date Participants Countries
Frankfurt, Germany Sept. 9-11 2024 TBA TBA
Daegu, Korea (Hybrid) Oct. 24-26 2022 296 22
Trondheim, Norway (Virtual) Oct 7-9 2020 219 25
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA May 7-11 2018 180 19
Nice, France Sept. 28-30 2016 355 32
Taipei, Taiwan June 19-21 2014 239 24
Eindhoven, Netherlands June 27-30 2012 368 32

The 5th International Workshop on Gerontechnology (IWoG 2022)

This book gathers peer-review contributions to the 5th International Workshop on Gerontechnology, IWoG 2022, held on November 17-18, 2022, in Évora, Portugal, and in Caceres, Spain. They report on cutting-edge technologies and optimized workflows for promoting active aging and assisting older adults at home, as well as in healthcare centers. All in all, this book provides health professionals, researchers, and service providers with extensive information on the latest trends in the development and application of gerontechnology, with a special emphasis on improving quality of life and social integration of the elderly.

Key Research Areas and Smart Solutions

  • Smart technologies for elderly care: Reports on smart technologies for elderly care and monitoring.
  • Recommendations: Gathers recommendations to improve quality of life for the elderly.
  • Technological Solutions: AQUATIME: A Technological Solution to the Dehydration of the Elderly.
  • Robotics: Acceptance and Adoption of Care Robots Among Elderly: A Critical Review of the Ethnographic Production.
  • Digital Tools: Identification of Barriers and Facilitators of the Use of Digital Tools in Healthcare in Primary Care Home Settings.

The chapters also describe approaches for helping seniors in their daily tasks and facilitating their communication and integration with assistive technologies, discussing the main challenges in the development, use and delivery of health care services and technologies.