[Social space and narrative identity in old age : Approaching digitality in space and narration among persons in...

The article focuses on the perspectives of residents in assisted living facilities (BBW) on digitality, social space and biography and triangulates them.

To what extent is digitality addressed in the representation of social spaces and in biographical narratives and placed in relation to each other?

A comparison of 2 cases from a sample of 10 people in old and very old age (female = 8, male = 2; 77-95 years old) forms the basis for the analysis of sociospatial maps and the accompanying problem-centered interviews and biographical narrative interviews. Crucial to the triangulation of the data is the guiding perspective of the pervasion of social spaces by digitality and the reconstruction of narrative identities.

In the first case, there is a close interconnection between sociospatial and biographical aspects throughout the entire life course of the person interviewed. In the other case, the biographical narratives are much more focused on the past and the sociospatial orientation of the person interviewed is more strongly rooted in the present. With respect to digitality, in both cases the result is that a sociospatial and biographical anchoring strengthens the sustainable use of digital devices.

The combination of both perspectives provides an in-depth approach to the living environment and subjective experiences of the target group. Combining both survey approaches provides greater insight into the resources and needs of the interviewees. This creates valuable points of reference for experts in assisted living facilities.