Digital literacy in Older Adults and Its Influence on Quality of Life

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-779-8_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Digital literacy; older adults; information and communication technologies; quality of life; active aging; PLS-SEM

Abstract

Population aging has intensified the need to promote digital inclusion as a strategy to improve the well-being, autonomy, and social participation of older adults. This study analyzes the influence of digital literacy and the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the quality of life of older adults in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. A quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental research design was employed. Data were collected from a sample of 390 adults aged 60 years and older using a structured questionnaire composed of 33 measurement items. The proposed conceptual model was evaluated through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), allowing the examination of the relationships among digital literacy dimensions and quality-of-life outcomes. The results indicate that communication and social relationships significantly influence emotions and feelings (β = 0.505, p < 0.001), while emotions positively affect both user experience (β = 0.337, p < 0.001) and health and personal well-being (β = 0.376, p < 0.001). Furthermore, user experience exerts a significant positive effect on health and personal well-being (β = 0.255, p < 0.001), highlighting its mediating role in enhancing quality of life. These findings demonstrate that digital literacy extends beyond technology access by strengthening emotional well-being, social connectedness, autonomy, confidence in technology use, and active aging. The study contributes empirical evidence from a border-region context where demographic and technological conditions differ from those reported in other settings. It also provides practical implications for policymakers, educational institutions, and public organizations seeking to design inclusive digital literacy strategies, reduce the digital divide, and promote healthier, more independent, and socially engaged aging among older adults through accessible ICT training initiatives.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this license to share adapted material derived from this chapter or parts of it.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Claudia Viviana Álvarez Vega
AU  - Martín Francisco Montaño Hernández
AU  - Mónica Claudia Casas Páez
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
TI  - Digital literacy in Older Adults and Its Influence on Quality of Life
BT  - Proceedings of the International Congress on Competitiveness and Development of MSMEs 2026 (ICCD-MSMEs 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 211
EP  - 229
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-779-8_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-779-8_13
ID  - Vega2026
ER  -