Vermeer, Yvette Cornelia Maria Linda;
(2020)
Surveillance technology, dementia and the media: Responses from people living with dementia and family carers.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Globally technology has become a popular response to the challenges of ageing populations. Dementia presents a particular problem for family carers and policy makers for which surveillance technologies (STs) such as monitoring devices are posited as solutions. ST products are marketed online focusing on their capacity to empower people with dementia; however, these products are developed without considering (potential) user input. The literature about dementia and surveillance was reviewed as was the nature of the ST market. The involvement of users in setting the parameters and utilities of such products was investigated through qualitative research. This interdisciplinary research undertook a tripartite approach studying: production (what is on the market); audience reception (what do users need); and media content (what media techniques are used to attract attention) in the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Netherlands. The key finding across studies was that there was little recognition that people with dementia have different needs from those of carers. A “wanderer” discourse gave minimum representation to people with dementia interacting with technology stressing instead the dangers of wandering from carers’ perspectives. This dichotomy was reflected in the different interpretations that each group made of advertisements. Carers focused on wanting small trackers for covert use. People with dementia conversely thought ST was not for them as it stigmatised them. People with dementia are not passive. They have individual needs for independence and these can conflict with those of carers. These findings are relevant to technology designers and advertisers by highlighting their assumptions about this gap in the (civil rights) movement market.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Surveillance technology, dementia and the media: Responses from people living with dementia and family carers |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10109886 |
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