Researcher Spotlight: Ryan Moore (Stanford)

This week, I had the privilege of interviewing Ryan Moore, a Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford University. Ryan’s work focuses on older adults’ digital media and technology use. Most broadly, he works to identify how older adults can effectively use digital media and technology to pursue their everyday goals, as well as understanding ways to help older adults build resilience to online threats such as mis/disinformation and scams. Grab a coffee and join me in diving into Ryan’s research on older adult perceptions on technology!

— Sarah Richard

P.S. - If you’re an AgeTech founder, investor, or operator based in the NYC area, please consider joining us at August’s AgeTech NYC event, hosted by Brian Geyser at Maplewood Senior Living. 

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Ryan, can you walk me through your background?

RM: I did my undergrad at Ohio State, majoring in economics and political science. There, I worked as a research assistant studying how people learn about politics and current events. The 2016 election sparked my interest in misinformation, especially its impact on older adults. I joined the PhD program in the Department of Communication at Stanford to study why older people might be more susceptible to misinformation online and how to build their resilience. Over the next year, I'll be a New Map of Life Fellow at the Stanford Center on Longevity and then an assistant professor at UT Austin starting in fall 2025.

What are your top takeaways from your research on misinformation among older adults?

RM: Studies consistently show that older adults, especially those 65 and up, are more exposed to and engage with misinformation online. This trend persisted from the 2016 to the 2020 US elections. The reasons why are not fully understood but may include targeted political and financial motivations and differences in technology use. Our work suggests that digital literacy education could be a key solution. We’ve been collaborating with MediaWise on various educational interventions to improve digital literacy, which have shown promise in improving older adults' ability to discern truth from false information online.

What are the best practices for startups to get older adults comfortable with technology?

RM: One approach might be to draw on socioemotional selectivity theory, which highlights that as people age they prioritize emotionally meaningful experiences. This can be leveraged in marketing and teaching to show how technology can enhance older adults’ lives. Another crucial aspect is accessibility; technology should be designed with older adults in mind, considering factors like larger text and simpler interfaces. Our research on VR in nursing homes revealed diverse responses to VR within older adult participants – in that study people ranging in age from 65 to 103 – emphasizing the need for targeted design based on specific age groups, even within the “older adult” user population.

What emerging technology trends are you most excited about for serving older adults?

RM: I'm particularly excited about the potential of generative AI. It has vast possibilities for productivity and daily tasks, freeing up time for more demanding activities. However, there are concerns about the technology as well, for example AI's use in creating misinformation. We're planning a study around the 2024 election to explore exposure to AI-generated misinformation and how attitudes towards AI relate to this exposure. A goal is to work toward understanding both the positive and negative impacts of AI on older adults.

Based on your research, what are you excited to work on next?

RM: I want to highlight the strengths that come with aging, such as improved emotion regulation and the value of lived experience. These strengths can be leveraged to help older adults use technology to achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. A priority for me in my future work is to understand and harness these strengths to benefit not only older adults but society as a whole.

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