Digital literacy among Korean older adults: A scoping review of quantitative studies

Background: While digital literacy has become an essential competency for individuals across generations and sectors of society, supporting digital literacy in older adults is particularly challenging. South Korea is among the many countries undergoing rapid digitalization and population aging. Therefore, it is timely to identify the current understanding of digital literacy among older adults in South Korea. Aim: To identify prior studies that quantitatively measure digital literacy among older adults in South Korea and to identify and evaluate how digital literacy was measured in the reviewed studies. Methods: The study followed Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, searching through four international (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane Library) and four Korean (RISS, KISS, KCI, and KMBase) databases. Results: Among 42 studies included in the final analysis, 38 were cross-sectional studies, and 21 employed primary data. Digital literacy was assessed in various scopes, including digital literacy, e-health literacy, Internet use, and smartphone use. Of the 25 identified measures, three were validated; the rest varied greatly, from using a few items from large surveys to employing investigator-developed measures. Based on the European Commission's Digital Competence Framework, the most commonly addressed components were information and data literacy and communication and collaboration. Conclusions: In recent years, attention toward digital literacy among South Korean older adults has grown rapidly. However, the level of digital literacy among older adults in South Korea remains inconclusive given measurement heterogeneity. Developing and validating more robust measures are warranted to evaluate digital literacy among older adults with diverse functions and circumstances.

Automated summary

This study aims to identify the current understanding of digital literacy among older adults in South Korea and evaluate the measurement methods used in previous studies. The findings show that attention towards digital literacy among South Korean older adults has increased in recent years. However, due to the heterogeneity of measurement methods, the level of digital literacy among older adults in South Korea remains inconclusive. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and validate more robust measures for evaluating digital literacy among older adults.