Impact Factors on Social TV Research in Real Elderly Persons’ Households

Abstract

There has been a lot of interactive/social TV research and a lot of projects argued before the tablet boom with the elderly person’s familiarity of TVs over PCs. However, not much research looked at appropriation processes of social/iTV prototypes from a holistic point of view, i.e. in the context of Living Lab research which includes reflection about socio-cultural issues in the realm of the TV watching practice. In this paper, we present research results and methodological reflections focussing on the interweaving of socio-cultural issues to social/iTV research with challenges in setting up and pursuing a long-term practice-based Living Lab project. We would like to sensitize other social/iTV researchers who do Living Lab research in real households of elderly people for possible obstacles and opportunities and open up a discussion on these practice-based social/iTV research issues.