DIGITAL LITERACY AS FAMILY CAPITAL: BRIDGING THE GENERATIONAL GAP TOWARD SMART AND DIGNIFIED AGING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Keywords:
digital literacy, family resilience, generational gap, smart aging, sustainable developmentAbstract
Southeast Asia is undergoing two simultaneous transitions: rapid population ageing and accelerating digital transformation. Within this context, the family remains the primary unit of support for older adults, yet the intergenerational digital divide increasingly challenges the family's capacity to fulfil this role. This conceptual paper aims to develop a theoretical framework positioning digital literacy as a form of family capital that bridges the generational gap in support of smart and dignified aging. Through a literature-based conceptual analysis, this study synthesizes Family Resilience Theory, the layered Digital Divide framework, the concept of digital literacy as cultural and social capital, and the World Health Organization's Healthy Ageing framework. The synthesis proposes that family digital literacy mediates the relationship between family adaptive capacity and older adults' quality of life in the digital era, operating through three stages: transmission, meaning negotiation, and institutionalization of digital practices within the household. The discussion further highlights that the extended-family and collectivist character of Southeast Asian societies shapes this transmission process, while labour migration and transnational family arrangements introduce new challenges to face-to-face digital mentorship. The paper cautions that unmanaged dependency on younger family members for digital mediation may undermine older adults' autonomy and dignity, contrary to the principle of dignified aging. It concludes with policy implications for strengthening family and community resilience in the digital era, in line with Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 10, and proposes directions for future empirical research across Southeast Asian countries.
References
Ahmad, N. A., Mohd Ali, M. A., & Tengku Shahdan, T. S. (2025). Intergenerational instructional strategies and elderly preferences for digital applications: A Malaysian case study. PLOS ONE, 20(8), e0328481. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328481
Appel, L., Lewis, S., Kisonas, E., & Recknagel, J. (2022). VRCHIVE: Experiences conducting an online workshop teaching intergenerational participants to create virtual reality films about their lives during the COVID pandemic. Educational Gerontology, 48(7), 305–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2022.2040860
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Cheng, H., Lyu, K., Li, J., & Shiu, H. (2022). Bridging the digital divide for rural older adults by family intergenerational learning: A classroom case in a rural primary school in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010371
Facchinetti, G., Petrucci, G., Albanesi, B., De Marinis, M. G., & Piredda, M. (2023). Can smart home technologies help older adults manage their chronic condition? A systematic literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1205. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021205
Farag, Y., Narra, G., Balasubramaniam, D., & Boyd, K. (2024). Improving the digital literacy and social participation of older adults: An inclusive platform that fosters intergenerational learning. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (ICT4AWE 2024).
Guu, T.-W., Muurling, M., Khan, Z., Kalafatis, C., Aarsland, D., & Brem, A.-K. (2023). Wearable devices: Underrepresentation in the ageing society. The Lancet Digital Health, 5(6), e336–e337. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(23)00069-2
Harahap, M. A. K. (2025). Integrating local wisdom into sustainable ecotourism development strategies: A case study in the Lake Toba region, Samosir. Serumpun International Conference Proceedings (SICP), 1(1), 378–387.
Harris, M. T., Blocker, K. A., & Rogers, W. A. (2022). Older adults and smart technology: Facilitators and barriers to use. Frontiers in Computer Science, 4, 835927. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2022.835927
Joseph, J. (2025). Designing for dignity: Ethics of AI surveillance in older adult care. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7, 1643238. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1643238
Jung, S. O., Son, Y. H., & Choi, E. (2022). E-health literacy in older adults: An evolutionary concept analysis. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 22, 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-022-01761-6
Kärnä, E., Aavikko, L., Rohner, R., Gallistl, V., Pihlainen, K., Müller, C., Ehlers, A., Bevilacqua, R., Maranesi, E., Cerna, K., Hengl, L., Kolland, F., Waldenberger, F., Naegele, G., Park, S., Hess, M., Reuter, V., Frewer-Graumann, S., & Korjonen-Kuusipuro, K. (2022). A multilevel model of older adults' appropriation of ICT and acquisition of digital literacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 15714. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315714
Kim, S., & Choudhury, A. (2021). Exploring older adults' perception and use of smart speaker-based voice assistants: A longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behavior, 124, 106914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106914
Livingstone, S. (2018). Digital literacy and media literacy: A review of the concepts and their relevance to policy debates. Media, Culture & Society, 40(4), 511–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443718772909
Lu, X., Yao, Y., & Jin, Y. (2022). Digital exclusion and functional dependence in older people: Findings from five longitudinal cohort studies. eClinicalMedicine, 54, 101708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101708
Oh, S. S., Kim, K. A., Kim, M., Oh, J., Chu, S. H., & Choi, J. (2021). Measurement of digital literacy among older adults: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(2), e26145. https://doi.org/10.2196/26145
Phang, J. K., Kwan, Y. H., Yoon, S., Goh, H., Yee, W. Q., Tan, C. S., & Low, L. L. (2023). Digital intergenerational program to reduce loneliness and social isolation among older adults: Realist review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e39848. https://doi.org/10.2196/39848
Setiaji, B. (2025). Strengthening the policy on the implementation of Healthy Regencies/Cities (KKS). Serumpun International Conference Proceedings (SICP), 1(1), 374–377.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2023). World population ageing 2023: Highlights. United Nations.
Van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2020). The digital divide. Polity Press.
Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening family resilience (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
World Health Organization. (2020). Decade of healthy ageing: Baseline report. World Health Organization.
