The role of the Internet in later life autonomy: Silver surfers in Spain

The study addresses the challenge of ageing in developed societies and the imperative to sustain autonomy and well-being in later life. As Internet access expands in Spain, older adults remain heterogeneous in digital access, skills, and outcomes, facing first-, second-, and third-level digital divides. While ICT can empower seniors and promote inclusion, societal digitisation risks excluding those with lower skills. Prior work shows age negatively relates to digital skills and benefits but also reveals diverse profiles among older Internet users. The paper’s purpose is to develop a taxonomy of Spanish “silver surfers” based on Internet uses (especially e-commerce, e-government), skills, and trust/security perceptions, acknowledging the growing importance of these activities for inclusion. The study sets three specific objectives and research questions: (SO1/RQ1) identify differences among older users in Internet use, skills, and online trust; (SO2/RQ2) discover and define user profiles considering new digital needs; and (SO3/RQ3) characterise the most insecure/least skilled users to inform interventions.

The review frames three levels of the digital divide: material access (first-level), skills and uses (second-level), and outcomes/benefits (third-level). Older adults typically own fewer devices, report lower skills and engagement, and achieve fewer benefits online. Skills encompass operational, formal, informational, and strategic competencies. Although age correlates negatively with digital skills, frequency of use, experience, education, attitudes, and social support strongly shape skills and outcomes. Prior typologies distinguish older users by usage intensity, media habits, search behaviour, privacy attitudes, and communication styles, but often underrepresent e-government/e-commerce and trust/security dimensions. Active ageing literature links ICT use to social participation, well-being, and indirect benefits across economic, social, cultural, and personal domains. Education and e-inclusion initiatives, along with family/social support, can reduce divides. The review culminates in three research questions: RQ1 on differences in use/skills/trust, RQ2 on proposing a classification that reflects new digital demands, and RQ3 on defining the most insecure/least empowered users and ways to counteract their vulnerabilities.

Design: Quantitative survey of Spanish Internet users aged 60–79, aiming to classify silver surfers by Internet uses, skills, and trust/security (with emphasis on e-commerce and e-government). Sample and data collection: Random finite sample of 405 seniors (58.8% men, 41.2% women); age groups 60–64 (30.9%), 65–69 (24.7%), 70–74 (36.3%), 75–79 (8.1%). Quotas by gender, age, and region ensured representativeness of Spanish Internet users aged 60+. Telephone survey to include less digitally skilled users; fieldwork 4–12 February 2019. Confidence level 95%; sampling error ~4.9% (PQ=0.50). Measures: Three blocks.

1. Internet uses/activities spanning skill categories: WhatsApp; participation in social networks; checking email/reading digital news; information searches (price comparisons, health, weather); online banking; e-commerce; e-government/online administrative procedures.
2. Digital skills: self-perceived skill level (Low/Average/High/Very High) and perceived required level to adequately perform e-commerce and e-government.
3. Trust and security: trust in e-commerce and e-government (Low/Average/High/Very High); security perceptions and willingness to perform first online purchase/administrative task without assistance (Yes/No/Sometimes). Adaptive paths by experience:

• Path 1 (N=160): users of both e-commerce and e-government.
• Path 2 (N=84): e-commerce only.
• Path 3 (N=71): e-government only.
• Path 4 (N=90): neither. Analysis: Unsupervised learning. Built dissimilarity matrix using KODAMA (k-nearest neighbours, k=7) after testing multiple distances and reductions (Euclidean, Manhattan, etc.; PCA, ISOMAP, Shannon mapping). Clustering via k-means with seven clusters selected based on internal and stability validation (clValid; metrics including silhouette, connectivity, Dunn; APN, AD, ADM). Implemented in R 4.0.2 (RStudio 1.3.1056). Extracted variable importance to interpret clusters and plotted bi-dimensional projections.

Internet uses (overall, N=405): WhatsApp 91.4%; email/news 83.0%; searches 57.3%; online shopping 60.2%; online administration 57.0%; social media 47.9%; online banking 43.5%. Path differences: Path 1 users were most versatile across uses; Path 4 were most restrictive. Skills: 53.1% self-rated Average; 22.0% High/Very High; 24.9% Low. Perceived required level for adequate use: 47.4% Average; 33.8% High/Very High; 18.8% Low. Trust/security: Trust in e-commerce—Low 24.7%, Average 43.0%, High 28.1%, Very High 4.2%; e-government—Low 21.7%, Average 48.9%, High 24.2%, Very High 5.2%. 69.6% had performed an online administrative procedure or purchase without assistance; 66.2% felt secure shopping or performing admin tasks online. Cluster solution (k=7; proportions and salient traits):

• Able (N=98; 24.2%): Uses all tested activities except online banking; self-rated Average skills (sufficient); feels safe; Average trust in e-commerce and e-government.
• Daring (N=95; 23.5%): Uses all services except information searches; perceives Average skills but deems High required; high trust in e-commerce and e-government; feels safe.
• Sceptical (N=72; 17.8%): Primarily WhatsApp and email/news; Low skills; believes Average required; does not shop or use e-government alone; low trust in e-commerce, Average in e-government; feels unsafe.
• Novice (N=53; 13.1%): Uses WhatsApp, searches, email/news, e-commerce; not social media, banking, or e-government; Average skills/required; feels safe; Average trust.
• Confident (N=52; 12.8%): Uses WhatsApp, searches, e-commerce, e-government; Average skills/required; feels safe; Average trust.
• Insecure (N=19; 4.7%): Uses email/news and searches only; Low skills, believes Average required; does not perform shopping/admin alone; low trust and low perceived security.
• Practical (N=16; 4.0%): Uses email/news, searches, online banking, e-commerce, e-government; not WhatsApp or social media; Average skills but deems High required; high trust in e-commerce, Average in e-government; feels safe. Discriminating variables: Most influential for grouping were trust in e-commerce, engagement in purchases, self-perceived skill level, trust in e-government, and feeling safe performing purchases/admin tasks. Less discriminating were WhatsApp, email/news (high prevalence), social media, and online banking (lower prevalence). Socio-demographics: Groups were generally male-leaning; age differences across clusters were small (means ~68–70 years), suggesting age was not a primary discriminator. Regional distributions largely followed population density patterns.

Findings answer RQ1 and RQ2 by evidencing substantial heterogeneity among Spanish seniors in Internet uses, perceived skills, and trust/security, and by proposing a seven-cluster taxonomy that incorporates critical, less-studied activities (e-commerce, e-government) and trust. Broadly, basic uses (WhatsApp, email/news) are nearly universal, while advanced, benefit-rich tasks (banking, e-commerce, e-government, social media) differentiate users. Trust and perceived security, particularly for e-commerce, are central determinants of engagement and thus of potential third-level digital divide outcomes. Contrary to stereotypes, age per se was not the main differentiator; experience, attitudes, and trust appear more salient. Gender remains somewhat imbalanced toward men across most clusters. The identification of Sceptical and Insecure profiles clarifies who is most vulnerable to exclusion from socio-economic and civic benefits of digitisation, addressing RQ3 and informing targeted e-inclusion strategies (education, support, trust-building, and usability improvements). These results reinforce the importance of ICT for active ageing, autonomy, and well-being, while emphasising the need to reduce intra-generational divides.

The study develops a nuanced taxonomy of Spanish silver surfers based on Internet uses, skills, and trust/security, highlighting seven distinct profiles. Most seniors engage in basic online activities, but advanced, benefit-yielding tasks vary markedly and are shaped by trust and perceived competence. Able and Daring (largest clusters) are active, while Sceptical and Insecure lack skills and trust, limiting their digital autonomy. These insights can guide policy and program design to enhance inclusion, autonomy, and healthy ageing. Future research should: expand samples to refine estimates and enable regional analyses; conduct longitudinal and cross-cultural studies to assess contextual effects; integrate socio-demographic factors (gender, education, class) in clustering; examine design/usability impacts on seniors’ adoption; and investigate post-pandemic dynamics in seniors’ ICT use and technostress.

The study is limited to Spain, which may constrain generalisability. The sample size, while adequate overall, limits precision for less frequent profiles and regional comparisons. Clustering prioritised behavioural and attitudinal variables over gender, education, and social class, which were not central to the taxonomy. The study did not analyse interface design/usability factors that affect senior adoption. Data were collected pre-COVID-19 and do not capture pandemic-related changes in ICT use and technostress.