Abstract
Society and technology: Promoting well-being in a digital age is a book edited by Hannah Marston who also wrote most chapters. Dr Marston is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at The Open University in the United Kingdom (UK), with background in gerontology, technology, digital health and well-being, and video games. Other contributors were researchers from across the globe, with expertise in social policy, gerontology, nursing, cultural and media studies, urban aging, palliative care, philosophy, art, animation, psychology, user experience, law, psychotherapy, industrial and systems engineering, epidemiology, and medical sociology. Moreover, an unusual and valuable aspect of the author team was inclusion of several individuals living with chronic illnesses or disabilities—experts by experience—as well as independent researchers.
This book is not exclusively focused on gerontology, nor do all topics pertain solely to older adults. Rather, technology is the key thread running through all chapters, except the last chapter 12 which focused on financial aspects of aging. Chapter 2 is a review of the study conducted in the UK on the use of dating apps during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the median age of participants 41 years old, and no older adults (≥65 years old) participated in qualitative interviews in this study. Other chapters without exclusive focus on gerontology are Chapter 4 (artificial intelligence [AI] use in education); Chapter 7 (examination of racism in film using semiotics); and Chapter 10 (built environment during the pandemic for young adults living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in the UK). In the latest chapter, however, connection is made between young adults living with disabilities and infrastructure for aging because more and more young people with disabilities live longer. Chapter 11 is a summary of the study conducted across 13 countries, focusing on loneliness among vulnerable adults during the pandemic. Less than 10% of participants in this 2-wave study were ≥60 years old. Despite lacking singular focus on older adults in these chapters, information may be interpolated to older adults, as they may use dating apps, AI, or require care for life-limiting conditions. Thus, this volume represents transdisciplinary approach, uniting topics in a surprising way, from the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on social isolation and loneliness to the use of artificial intelligence in creativity to animation technology.
Chapters are united by the topics of technology, but there is no single study that permeates every chapter. Instead, chapters often incorporate results of several standalone studies, such as those focused on the impact of COVID-19 on social isolation and lives of younger adults affected by life-limiting conditions.
Another theme uniting chapters is interaction between myriad aspects of human life—education, romantic relationships, chronic and life-limiting illnesses—and technology. Furthermore, authors consider ethics of ever-growing space that technology takes in many, if not all, facets of life. Thus, authors critically examine not only benefits of technology but also the price of such benefits—sometimes known, and sometimes only discovered after the use of technology (e.g., fraudulent romantic relationships online). In fact, throughout the entire book, it is obvious that authors question: who defends people when technology harms them? For instance, tragic examples are cited in chapter 2, whereby use of dating apps can lead to rape and murder—rarely mentioned risks of using such apps. Hence, the authors, despite variegated topics in a single volume, are united in the notion that technology takes more space and offers unheard of convenience (as in connecting people during the pandemic). But the opposite side of the coin is vaguely perceived danger that comes with technology use, likely because of its novelty and most people not having education in computer science or related field, accompanied by the lack of understanding or power to fight back, should anyone be harmed by technology. Possibly, this is why ethics is a running thread uniting all chapters.
Chapter 3 reviews ethical consideration of social media, AI, and digital legacies—what happens to online accounts after the person’s death. Fraud and malicious use technology is covered in detail. Chapter 5 explores gender critical feminism, focusing on the right to have healthcare providers and aides of same sex for persons living with disability, who rely on such carers. Feminist gerontology is likewise discussed in this chapter. Chapter 6 examined the intersection of technology and creativity and how technology changes how art is created and viewed. Creativity in later life was also reviewed. Chapter 8 explored fem and sex technologies, including application of these devices in gerontology (e.g., apps used to support women during menopause). Chapter 9 reviewed technology, eHealth, and age-friendly cities. Chapters 10 and 11 focused on the results of studies on built environment, psychological well-being, and loneliness during COVID-19. Specific attention was on younger adults living with life-limiting conditions and dependent on family or paid carers for activities of daily living.
Last chapter 12 was not focused on technology. Instead, it addressed why financial aspects were not a separate, clearly stated domain of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) (2007) model for age-friendly cities and communities. The authors investigated in-depth history of development of this 8-domain model where finances were omitted, providing a thorough overview of methodological flaws that could have led to this omission. Throughout the chapter, it was made obvious that authors are deeply concerned about silence surrounding finances as an aspect of life without age-friendly environment is impossible.
This book is unique in that it encompasses a wide swath of topics. Hence, reading individual chapters may be most efficient for highly specialized and busy researchers. Reading the book in its entirety, however, may help create unexpected connections and appreciate the myriad of ways in which technology permeates, determines, and often controls lives. On the other hand, such broad overview may be perceived as a limitation of the text, especially for highly specialized researchers or practitioners. The book, however, challenges exclusive focus on a single discipline. For instance, it may be simpler to find books purely on the impact of technology in healthcare or education. This text, by contrast, illuminates and unites disciplines through the lens of technology. At times I questioned how different chapters fit together, especially on topics such as animation and creativity, in the same volume that covers the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and dating apps. Potentially, my discomfort stemmed from implicit expectation that all academic work is on a single topic—even though “interdisciplinary” and “transdisciplinary” are buzzwords in academia. This book was likely the most transdisciplinary single volume that I read. This may be a welcome departure from those to whom “interdisciplinary” means still professionals in the same field (e.g., various professions in healthcare and education).
Another strength of this volume is the exhaustive literature review that substantiates each chapter. It is evident that authors of each chapter have deep expertise on the topic, including its historical development. Many topics are examined from historical standpoint, demonstrating the authors’ rigorous, extensive work on document analysis. Laws, applicable court cases, and policies are discussed in precise detail and in temporal frame, for example, in Chapter 5 focused on gender critical feminism and same-sex care.
One limitation I found in Chapter 4 focused on the use of AI in educational and professional environments. I found that authors’ view of AI use by students was overly optimistic and not balanced. Authors praised AI in its ability to “help” students with homework. But aspects of critical thinking, creativity, and diversity of viewpoints—as opposed to a singular, presumably “correct” answer provided by a chatbot—were not examined. Indeed, several universities and colleges do not permit use of AI for creative work (e.g., theses) or require students to acknowledge in writing that they used AI to generate text (University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, 2026).
Another unique strength of this volume is its international grounding, with studies, for instance, in chapter 11, spanning multiple countries across continents. Such wide view may be of interest especially those used to reading highly specialized literature from their country only—which is often done for the sake of time and efficiency (e.g., applicability of certain knowledge solely within the U.S. healthcare system). Assuming a wider outlook may spark surprising comparisons and connecting previously unconnected ideas, not to mention learning from other countries’ experiences. It is obvious that conducting large, international studies is highly challenging; hence, this volume represents a very substantial scientific contribution from a large number of scientists and staff who contribute to research.
This book will be of interest to gerontologists, social workers, healthcare professionals, and anyone whose work intersects human services and technology. The last chapter focused on the omission of financial well-being as a key factor in the World Health Organization’s model of age-friendly cities and communities will be of interest to any public administrators, urban planners, and economists. Furthermore, reading this chapter will be extremely useful to graduate students as they will understand the repercussions of methodological flaws in research that have staggering real-world consequences. Such lesson may help students understand how methodology and study design have concrete impact on human live. The way the chapter unfolds, with comparisons between quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and what was omitted by the WHO, exemplifies that scientific rigor exists not in vacuum or solely for publication or even career success, but rather to ensure that research results are relevant to the population in question and do not cause harm.
Furthermore, the key message of the book, as I understood it, was applicability of research to real lives and in the present moment. Marston concludes: “This volume aims to be thought provoking, bringing together disciplines in a bid to ensure there are greater alignments for researchers, participants, policymakers, industry professionals to conduct both theoretical and applied research with a view to making real-world societal changes” (p. 323). The author communicates a sense of urgency, responsibility, and the fact that rigorous science does not operate in the vacuum or solely for the career advancement of scientists. Technology invades human life at unprecedented speed, breaking barriers of what was or is possible. Rigorous research is needed to ensure that technology—a tool, not an end, but a means to an end—helps solve problems that older adults face and does not increase their vulnerability to known and unknown threats that technology brings.