移动互联网使用对老年人线下社会交往的影响——以微信使用为例

The Impact of Mobile Internet Use on the Offline Social Interaction of the Elderly:A Case Study of WeChat Use

在老龄化程度持续加深和移动互联网技术日益普及的背景下,探索老年人“微信使用”与社会交往之间的关系是积极老龄化的重要议题之一。利用CGSS2018数据,采用倾向值匹配模型估计了老年人“微信使用”对其社会交往的影响。研究发现,微信使用从总体上促进了老年人的线下社会交往;微信使用对“与朋友交往”的促进作用更明显,但对“与邻居交往”的促进作用不明显;微信使用对社会交往的促进作用随年龄增长而增加,有效地改善了老年人社交中的年龄劣势;微信使用进一步拉大了城市与农村老年人在社会交往中的差距。积极老龄化的相关政策应从满足老年人需求出发,完善服务保障体系,建立长效机制,切实解决老年人面临的社会交往困境和“数字鸿沟”难题。

In the context of a rapidly aging population and the increasing prevalence of mobile internet technology,examining the relationship between WeChat use and social interactions among the elderly has become an important topic in promoting active aging.Using data from the 2018 China General Social Survey(CGSS),this study applies a propensity score matching model to estimate the impact of WeChat use on offline social interactions among older adults.The findings indicate that WeChat use generally enhances offline social interactions for the elderly.Specifically,the promotion of socializing with friends is more pronounced,while the effect on interactions with neighbors is minimal.Moreover,the positive impact of WeChat use on social interaction intensifies with age,helping to alleviate the age-related disadvantages often experienced by the elderly in maintaining social connections.However,WeChat use has also exacerbated the gap in social interactions between urban and rural elderly populations.To address these issues,policies promoting active aging should focus on meeting the diverse needs of the elderly,improving service and support systems,and establishing long-term mechanisms to address social interaction challenges and the digital divide faced by older adults.