Prof.  Bob  Lee
Bowling Green State University,  USA

Title: Surfing Online for Social-wellbeing: A Comparative Study between Older Users in US and China

Abstract:

Information communication technology via the Internet, provides plenty of opportunities for older individuals to partake in leisure through playing various online games. A tremendous amount of online leisure opportunities are available through multiple websites. For example, Google Play offers many categories of entertainment: movies, TV, games, music, etc. Further, many mobile devices, such as iPad, Smartphone; while in China, QQ games, WeChat, and TikTok, all provide tremendous entertaining opportunities for users.

Online entertainment and games are especially meaningful to older folks. Living to an advanced age, many older adults gradually and increasingly experience decreased mobility due to physical illness, diseases, or retirement-induced disconnection to the pre-existing social network. The Internet, however, may provide new channels for older people to maintain their leisure engagement. Grodsky & Gilbert (1998) reported that older people who were learning to use computers were primarily using them for word processing, record keeping, paying bills and having fun.

Leisure participation often generate leisure companionship that has well been recognized as one of the fundamental human needs that drive people to participate in shared activities through the life-cycle. Leisure-generated companionship can be viewed as a form of social support. The construct of companionship contains a health–sustaining value in that it often creates interpersonal reward from engaging in a shared leisure activity. Further, it has been well documented in the research community that social support contributes to one’s psychological well-being (Rook, 1987).

This view of point through the presentation will be further discussed from cultural perspectives by comparing older ITS users in US and China

Biography:

Bob Lee, Professor of Tourism Hospitality and Event Management in the School of Applied Human Sciences at Bowling Green State University, US. Dr. Lee’s research interests focus on older travelers, leisure and aging, uses of ICT among older adults. He has published extensively on impacts of information communication technology on older users, senior travelers, and family recreation. Dr. Lee also served for many professional organizations including: Associate editor of World Leisure Journal, Associate editor for the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Co-Chief editor for Journal of Vision in Leisure and Business, Associate Editor for the Annual of Therapeutic Recreation, Guest editor for Journal for Liberal Arts and Sciences, (17)1, special issue on Event and Tourism, 2013, and The chair for the Annual Conference of 2024 National Environmental Recreation Research. Dr. Lee’s new book of Leisure, Tourism and Older Adults, published in 2022 by the Linus Publications Inc. in New York.