Abstract

Info

Title:: The Migrant Elderly and Virtual Social Interaction: Investigating the Internet Use and WeChat Social Support among Chinese Elderly Migrants

Keywords:: the migrant elderly; WeChat; virtual community; online social support

Abstract:: The rapid growth of the elderly migrant population is closely linked to China’s new urbanization process. In urban spaces characterized by mobility, aging, and digitization, the migrant elderly face challenges of de-embedding and re-embedding as they migrate with their offspring. Compared with other elderly people, the migrant elderly use WeChat with greater proficiency. WeChat plays a crucial role in empowering them, particularly through supplementing their social connections, helping this group bridge the gap between physical distances in virtual spaces, and to some extent, facilitating the re-aggregation and expansion of offline relationships. However, the popularization and use of technology is an unbalanced process of empowerment. Persistent individual differences continue to affect this group’s access to resources and support on Internet platforms. In order to ensure that these “elder drifters” who are still overwhelmed by heavy burden of life have a reliable support system, the top priority should be the construction of diverse support networks both online and offline, as well as multidimensional in-depth communication between generations and friends.