Sustainable Development and ICT Use Among Elderly: A Comparison Between the Netherlands and Italy

Abstract

The paper analyzes the participation of the elderly in the digital society by comparing the situation in the Netherland and in Italy. While the Netherlands are at the forefront in internet and social media use with 80% of the seniors in the age group 65–75 being online in 2016, the situation is different in Italy with only 28,8% of the population in this age group using Internet. We have carried out two surveys in Italy to highlight the reasons for this difference which seems to be due to lack of digital competences. We suggest that the widespread use of ICT in The Netherlands can have a positive impact on urban sustainability and on healthy ageing through caring and volunteering activities of the elderly in the natural environment promoted through social media.