The roles of perceived privacy control, Internet privacy concerns and Internet skills in the direct and indirect Internet uses of older adults: Conceptual integration and empirical testing of a theoretical model

Internet privacy has been proposed as a new dimension of the digital divide. Although Internet privacy relates to all segments of the population, older Internet users are particularly vulnerable because they generally have lower Internet skills. Coupled with their high level of privacy concerns, this can dissuade them from fully engaging in a variety of Internet uses. As older adults overcome their limited Internet skills by asking others to perform online activities on their behalf, a practice known as use-by-proxy, it is likely that this is also a strategy for dealing with Internet privacy concerns. Therefore, we examine how Internet skills, along with Internet privacy concerns and perceived privacy control, influence their Internet uses and use-by-proxy. To this end, we develop an integrative conceptual model and test it with structural equation modelling using data collected in November 2021 from a nationwide sample of 460 Internet users aged 65+ in Slovenia.

Automated summary

This article examines the impact of Internet privacy on older Internet users and finds that due to their lower Internet skills and high privacy concerns, they may choose to use-by-proxy to avoid privacy issues.