Adoption of Technology in Older Adults in Mexico City: An Approach from the Technology Acceptance Model

Abstract

Background/objectives: Currently, older adults face significant digital exclusion due to a lack of technological skills, which limits their access to essential services and their social participation in an environment increasingly dependent on technology. This study aimed to analyze how technological anxiety and social influence affect the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and adoption intention of technological tools among older adults in Mexico City using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Methods: A survey was conducted with 70 older adults attending an event in Mexico City.

Results: The findings confirm that, although perceived usefulness and ease of use remain pillars of technology use intention, technology anxiety acts as a critical barrier limiting adoption. At the same time, social influence has a dual effect: on the one hand, it facilitates the perception of ease of use; on the other, it diminishes the perception of usefulness when support becomes pressuring or impatient.

Conclusions: These results underscore the need to design interventions that reduce anxiety, strengthen digital literacy, and promote empathetic and motivating social support, thereby effectively enhancing technology adoption among older adults.

Keywords: anxiety; digital inclusion; digital technology; older adults; self-efficacy; technology acceptance model.

Figure 1

Conceptual model.

Figure 2

(a). Bar chart illustrating the frequency of digital tool use among older women (n = 41). Blue bars indicate the number of women who use each tool, while grey bars represent those who do not. As shown, WhatsApp is the most frequently used tool, whereas videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom, Meet, and Teams are the least utilized. (b). Bar chart depicting the usage frequency of digital tools among older men (n = 29). Blue bars correspond to the number of men who use each tool, whereas grey bars indicate those who do not. As illustrated, WhatsApp emerges as the most commonly used tool, while PowerPoint is the least frequently used.

Figure 3

Age distribution by tool usage. The graph shows the age distribution according to the use of various digital tools by older adults. The groups of older adults who do not use each tool are shown in red, and those who do use it are shown in blue. The box plots illustrate the median, quartiles, and age distribution, with individual data points representing each participant.

Figure 4

Resulting model. Anxiety (ANX), Social Influence (SI), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), and Behavioral Intention to Use (BI).