Brookes researchers launch study in to older people's online sharing habits

Researchers from Oxford Brookes University, along with academics at the Open University, are working with the over 60s in Oxford to investigate how people share photos online.

Workshops will be held at the Brookes campus in Headington on January 23 and February 23, bringing together people who wish to share their experiences.

One of the lead researchers Dr Sarah Quinton, a senior lecturer in marketing at Brookes, said the study was inspired by seeing her own mother's experiences of interacting with others online including her grandson who lives in Australia.

She said: "We're looking at why people share pictures, how they do it and what they feel they get out of it.

"We are interested in all manner of different photographs - whether its ex-servicemen sharing old pictures of spitfires to grandmothers going online to keep up to date with their grandchildren who may live far away.

"Families are becoming increasingly fractured and loneliness is becoming more and more of a problem.

"We want to start a conversation on the role photographs can play in addressing these issues."

The researchers are calling for people with strong views on the subject to complete a survey.

She said a lot of older people are not confident using computers and it 'feels alien' to them.

Findings will be used to make suggestions to policy makers on how to encourage more older people to use and interact with the internet.

Dr Quinton is also hoping to investigate the links between photo sharing and people's health.

She said: "Early evidence shows that looking at and sharing photos can help to combat conditions such as early onset alzheimers and issues such as memory time lapses.

"They are a way in to getting people to remember and talk about their past."

The project is funded by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust.

To find out more and to sign up to the workshops email Ms Quinton at sequinton@brookes.ac.uk.