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Experiences and Definitions of Loneliness. The Use of Technology for Anthropological Research

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Gerontechnology III (IWoG 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Bioengineering ((LNBE))

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Abstract

Ageing in Western societies results in various related problems. One of the most important is loneliness of the elderly. The research that has addressed loneliness has mostly been carried out from biomedical approaches, which have given priority to quantitative methodologies. We propose the research protocol for a study of ethnographic nature that is supported by technology to produce new empirical materials in loneliness research. The study will be carried out in two villages of Extremadura (Spain) with high ageing rates. We will be used traditional research tools from anthropological fieldwork, such as participant observation or interviews. For data collection through technological devices, we will be used Smart band, voice assistant and an app for location through bluetooth. These technological data will offer new insights into loneliness research and also new ways of representing it.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the 4IE+ project (0499_4IE_4_PLUS_4_E) funded by the Interreg V-A España-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain

    Borja Rivero Jiménez, David Conde-Caballero, Jara Bonilla-Bermejo, Jerónimo Luengo-Polo & Lorenzo Mariano Juárez

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  1. Borja Rivero Jiménez
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  2. David Conde-Caballero
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  3. Jara Bonilla-Bermejo
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  4. Jerónimo Luengo-Polo
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  5. Lorenzo Mariano Juárez
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Correspondence to Borja Rivero Jiménez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain

    José García-Alonso

  2. University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

    César Fonseca

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Rivero Jiménez, B., Conde-Caballero, D., Bonilla-Bermejo, J., Luengo-Polo, J., Mariano Juárez, L. (2021). Experiences and Definitions of Loneliness. The Use of Technology for Anthropological Research. In: García-Alonso, J., Fonseca, C. (eds) Gerontechnology III. IWoG 2020. Lecture Notes in Bioengineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72567-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72567-9_10

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