Digital inequality in online reciprocity between generations: A preliminary exploration of ability to use communication technology as a mediator

The current study provides preliminary insights into the disparity between older and younger adults in reciprocity in online social interaction. It also offers a synthesized conceptualization of different levels of online reciprocity that have been varyingly adopted in past research (e.g., presence of communicative response, matching of message length and quality). ANOVA and regression analyses of survey and behavioral data from 502 participants (304 college students and 198 older adults) revealed that, compared to the college student sample, the older adult sample self-reported their online reciprocity as lower and was less likely to reciprocate a stimulus email. Ability to use communication technology predicted all types and measures of online reciprocity and mediated the relationship between age group and online reciprocity. Implications of the findings are discussed in connection to the phenomenon of digital inequality.