When Roles Are Reversed: Bridging the Digital Divide through Intergenerational Learning Practices in Serbia

This paper explores how older adults in Serbia overcome the digital divide through the perspectives of younger family members who support and narrate their relatives’ engagement with digital technologies. Drawing on ethnographic research, the study highlights the relational practices and everyday strategies through which older adults bridge technological gaps, often in the absence of formal support. Grounded in the concept of the third-level digital divide, intergenerational solidarity, and social learning theory, the findings show that older adults gain not only technical proficiency but also social, cultural, and emotional benefits through sustained, guided engagement. By reversing traditional educational roles where younger relatives become facilitators of learning, the study demonstrates how family networks play a central role in overcoming the digital divide, fostering connection, trust, and shared meaning in everyday digital life.