💻 Digital participation against loneliness
In brief
Digital services can help ease loneliness: video calls keep contact across distances, online groups allow exchange on specific topics, and anyone who learns to use a smartphone or tablet often gains new independence. Digital contacts do not completely replace in-person meetings, however, and not everyone has equal access to devices, the internet or practice in using them.
Step by step
- Clarify your own starting pointIs a device, an internet connection or, above all, practice in using them missing? The right support differs depending on the hurdle.
- Use free learning servicesThe Digital-Kompass (an initiative of BAGSO and Deutschland sicher im Netz) offers learning opportunities and contact persons nationwide specifically for older people.
- Contact public contact pointsLibraries, family centres, multi-generation houses and adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) often offer free or low-cost digital courses.
- Try video callsA regular video call with family or friends can bridge physical distance, especially when in-person visits are rarely possible.
- Complement digital contacts with real onesWhere possible, online contacts should be a stepping stone to in-person meetings, not a complete substitute for them.
Deadlines
- Digital services do not work the same for everyone; lack of practice, vision difficulties or general scepticism should not be mistaken for disinterest.
- Purely online contacts can complement real encounters but, according to research so far, cannot completely replace them in every case.
- When choosing online communities or apps, check that they are reputable and protect your data, especially for services that ask for personal data or payments.
- Digital-Kompass services are aimed mainly at older people; for other age groups, other places to learn (youth centre, VHS, university) may be more suitable.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Digital-Kompass
The Digital-Kompass is a joint initiative of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen (BAGSO) and the initiative "Deutschland sicher im Netz" (DsiN) and offers voluntarily organised digital learning opportunities nationwide, in particular for older people, as well as materials on topics such as video calls, online security and using a smartphone. The service is supported, among others, by the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
State of research on digital contacts and loneliness
Research on the link between digital media use and loneliness is inconsistent: whether digital contacts ease or increase loneliness depends more on the type of use (active exchange vs. passive consumption) than on mere duration of use. A single figure representative for Germany on the effectiveness of digital participation services against loneliness was not available as of this page.
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