Pragmatic Disengagement and Culturally Situated Non Use Older Korean Immigrants Strategies for Navigating Digital Noise

TL;DR

Older Korean immigrants face layered barriers to digital participation, including language exclusion and emotional fatigue. This study uses a community-based participatory approach with 22 interviews to reveal pragmatic disengagement and interdependent navigation as culturally situated coping strategies rather than deficits. It extends theories of non-use and algorithmic resistance, offering design and policy recommendations for emotion-sensitive, bilingual interfaces and community-based mediation. The work highlights practical pathways to dignified digital engagement for aging immigrant populations in the AI era.

Abstract

Older immigrant adults often face layered barriers to digital participation, including language exclusion, generational divides, and emotional fatigue. This study examines how older Korean immigrants in the greater NYC area selectively engage with digital tools such as smartphones, YouTube, and AI platforms. Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework and 22 semi-structured interviews, we identify two key practices: pragmatic disengagement, where users avoid emotionally taxing or culturally misaligned content, and interdependent navigation, where digital use is shaped through reliance on family or community support. These strategies challenge deficit-oriented narratives of non-use, showing how disengagement can be thoughtful, protective, and culturally situated. We contribute to CSCW by expanding theories of non-use and algorithmic resistance and by offering design and policy recommendations to support more dignified, culturally attuned digital engagement for aging immigrant populations.