Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction· 2026Q2
Interdependent Navigation and Pragmatic Disengagement: How Older Korean Immigrants Selectively Engage with Digital Technologies
- 1citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Older Korean immigrants actively disengage from emotionally taxing or linguistically risky digital technologies and rely on 'interdependent navigation' where digital literacy is a shared, relational resource, not an individual skill.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Older Korean immigrants selectively reject digital technologies that are emotionally taxing or linguistically risky ('pragmatic disengagement').
- Digital literacy is often a distributed, relational resource ('interdependent navigation') rather than an individual skill among this population.
- Non-use of technology can be a culturally grounded form of 'data refusal' driven by values of dignity and family obligation.
- The study involved 22 older Korean immigrants in the greater New York area.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Older immigrant adults face unique barriers to digital participation, often framed as skill deficits. Through a community-based study with 22 older Korean immigrants in the greater New York area, we reframe these behaviors as active strategies. We identify pragmatic disengagement, where users selectively reject emotionally taxing or linguistically risky technologies, and interdependent navigation, where digital literacy operates as a distributed, relational resource rather than an individual skill. These practices reveal that non-use is often a culturally grounded form of "data refusal" shaped by values of dignity and family obligation. We contribute to CSCW by expanding theories of non-use beyond accessibility, offering design recommendations for "relational infrastructure" that supports dignity-preserving, collaborative engagement for aging immigrant populations.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Demography
DemographySocial Sciences