Silver Connections: Exploring How Continuous Socialization Tactics Influence Older Adults' Online Well‐Being Through a Mixed‐Methods Approach

Abstract

As global aging accelerates, supporting older adults' well‐being through meaningful social participation has become increasingly urgent. Social media communities offer older adults opportunities to expand their social networks beyond existing relationships. Yet, for many, these communities are unfamiliar environments where successful integration requires continuous socialization. Although research has examined socialization in formal organizational settings, these insights have rarely been applied to how older adults navigate informal online environments or the value they derive from social media community participation. This study examines how continuous socialization tactics enacted by social media communities shape different value dimensions older adults derive from online social participation and how these values subsequently influence online well‐being. A mixed‐methods approach combines qualitative (Study 1) and quantitative (Study 2) research. Study 1 identifies three tactics—informative content sharing, inclusive context framing, and social bond facilitating—and four value dimensions: information acquisition value, self‐worth affirmation value, immersive engagement value, and relational support value. Study 2 shows that these socialization tactics differentially influence these value dimensions, which in turn affect online well‐being. This research offers theoretical contributions and practical implications for supporting older adults' online social participation in an aging society.