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Not If or What, but How: Older and Younger Adults’ Selective and Compensatory Media Use and Well-Being

Fri, May 26, 9:30 to 10:45, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Floor: 2, Indigo 204B

Abstract

In this study, we developed a scale to measure selective and compensatory media use by younger and older adults in order to illustrate the role of media selection strategies in healthy aging. We compared older and younger adults’ use of these two manners of media use using a self-report measure. By means of a measurement invariance test we demonstrate that the developed scale has the same meaning across different age groups. Next, we compared the use of these two media use strategies across age groups, and link compensatory and selective media use to older and younger adults’ subjective well-being. Results demonstrate the unique role of these media use strategies in promoting successful aging, with selective media use positively related to well-being for older adults, and compensatory media use negatively related to well-being for both younger and older adults. Results are discussed in terms of understanding media selection strategies across the lifespan.

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