How age impacts participation in digital economy in India: A narrative research approach

Digitalization of the economy in forms of payments, online banking and automation using digital media powered digital economy, has the potential to make India an empowered society. provided by The Indian Government provides lots of incentives directed towards achieving a digital economy. Do they enable more participation in digital services available around us? The perceptions and attitude of Indians towards this new wave of digital revolution plays a vital role in deciding the loopholes in the digital service incentives. They would help formulate better services and in turn make India a knowledge-based economy. It is necessary to evaluate how Indians perceive the digital services available. It is also crucial to know the level of participation from different age groups of people in order to understand their needs and demands. The present study explores the levels of participation and the factors which determine the various age-based divide in aspects of perception and knowledge of this digital economy and digitization among middle aged adults and elderly adults in India. Participants include eighty adults (male=40, female=40) in the age of 25-55 years and 55 years and above, residing in the state of Karnataka, India. Data is collected using a semi-structured interviewing technique and their narratives are recorded. It has been found out that elderly adults have negative perception of digital services and their participation is less due to barriers of accessibility