DOMINIC W. MASSARO, editor
University of California, Santa Cruz

Silver Surfers: Creating Space for Geriatric Internet Studies

Older Adults, Health Information, and the World Wide Web
Edited by Roger W. Morrell. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 2002. xi +219 pp. Paper, $22.50.

Contrary to stereotypical notions of older people as unable to cope with the explosion of technological advancements in the past 25 years, the evidence is clear: Seniors have not been left behind by the Internet revolution. Recent census analysis by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2002) reports that Internet use for all age groups has grown steadily since 1997. The Pew Internet & American Life Project (2001) adds that Internet use among older Americans will continue to rise as the cohort of working people enters the "third age" with their computer skills intact. Moreover as baby boomers enter their retirement years, they will continue to demonstrate what an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) study (1999) labels a hallmark trait: self-reliance, using the Internet for their own purposes and with continued creativity. Today, older people use the World Wide Web and other Internet technologies to access information about health care, maintain connections with loved ones, and pursue educational activities. However, despite the growing number of older people online, one finds little research on the needs and potentials of this group.