Ageing with Smartphones in Ireland : : when life becomes craft / / Pauline Garvey, Daniel Miller.

• VerfasserIn: Garvey, Pauline,; Miller, Daniel,
• TeilnehmendeR: Miller, Daniel,
• Place / Publishing House: London, England : : UCL Press,, 2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (265 pages)

There are not many books about how people get younger. It doesn't happen very often. But Ageing with Smartphones in Ireland documents a radical change in the experience of ageing.Based on two ethnographies, one within Dublin and the other from the Dublin region, the book shows that people, rather than seeing themselves as old, focus on crafting a new life in retirement. Our research participants apply new ideals of sustainability both to themselves and to their environment. They go for long walks, play bridge, do yoga and keep as healthy as possible. As part of Ireland's mainstream middle class, they may have more time than the young to embrace green ideals and more money to move to energy-efficient homes, throw out household detritus and protect their environment.The smartphone has become integral to this new trajectory. For some it is an intimidating burden linked to being on the wrong side of a new digital divide. But for most, however, it has brought back the extended family and old friends, and helped resolve intergenerational conflicts though facilitating new forms of grandparenting. It has also become central to health issues, whether by Googling information or looking after frail parents. The smartphone enables this sense of getting younger as people download the music of their youth and develop new interests.This is a book about acknowledging late middle age in contemporary Ireland. How do older people in Ireland experience life today?

Table of Contents

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of figures -- List of abbreviations -- Series Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- Summary of conclusions -- Ireland: a historical and contemporary portrait -- Introduction to Ireland -- Anthropology in Ireland -- The focus on ageing -- Introduction to our fieldsites -- Cuan -- Thornhill -- Field methods -- Ethics and people -- Notes -- 2 Ageing and retirement -- Introduction -- Ageing and frailty: the subjective experience -- Complications: class and invisibility -- Retirement -- Retiring together: couples Ageing with smartphones -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 3 Everyday life: activities and routines -- Social Prescribing -- The individual's perspective -- Observing activities -- The ukulele group -- The Men's Shed -- Thornhill Strollers -- Craft and coffee -- Filling time -- Crafting routines -- Smartphones and special times -- Conclusion: crafting -- Notes -- 4 Ageing and social life -- Introduction -- Relationships with partners -- Relationships with parents -- Relationships with siblings and wider kin -- Grandparenting -- Friendships and loneliness -- Neighbours -- Conclusion -- Notes 5 Smartphones and ageing -- Smartphone infrastructure -- Talking about smartphones -- The wider context -- Learning and teaching smartphones -- Smartphone apps -- WhatsApp -- Personalisation -- The Irish smartphone -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 6 Health and care -- Health services, insurance and complementary health -- Responding through wellness -- Age, attitudes and behaviour -- Menopause -- Googling for health information -- Dementia and dying parents -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 7 Downsizing -- Introduction -- Alternatives to residential care -- Not downsizing -- Downsizing Divestment and decluttering -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 8 Life purpose -- Death and funerals -- The role of ethics -- Keeping active -- Walking and pilgrimage -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 9 Conclusion -- When life becomes craft -- An Irish ethos -- The smartphone -- Becoming younger -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Back Cover.