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Researcher Interview: Prof. Dirk Pesch 

by | Apr 30, 2024 | Loneliness and technology

Interview with Dirk Pesch, Professor in the School of Computer Science and Information Technology at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland 

What is your area of research? 

My area is the Internet of Things, networking and applications of sensing and actuation technologies. There’s a large range of applications where this applies, such as smart homes, smart cities, industrial environments, and health (i.e. medical devices like blood pressure monitors, a smart watch that constantly measures our heart rate and can have information about our location, for example).  

One of the pieces of research we’re doing now looks at how can we use technology like smartphones, fitness trackers to capture information about our behaviour (how much do we sleep, when do we go to bed, how often do we exercise, for how long, how often do we look at our phone, how many messages do we send, do we send them to the same or different people, etc.). This sensing information can be translated into behavioural data, which is very much linked to our well-being, and this can inform physicians and psychologists. If we capture with traditional measures (e.g. questionnaires) whether people feel lonely, express feeling lonely or are depressed, feel anxious, etc., then this information can be used with machine learning techniques through matching behavioural information extracted from these sensors with expressions of loneliness, depression, anxiety. We can then train machine learning models, which is basically something that does pattern matching, to match behavioural patterns with expressions of loneliness or depression we obtain with traditional methods. Once we have a trained machine learning model, we can take this model and use it when we get data from new people and detect their level of loneliness, depression or anxiety.  

Using existing data and collected data from our own trials we’ve trained machine learning models to find out if people feel socially lonely, isolated, or depressed. We’ve explored what kind of behavioural features show a strong correlation to feeling depressed or feeling lonely. We’ve also experimented putting these machine learning models on smartphones with the idea that it could be a feature like a monitoring app that could suggest to the person: hey, your behaviour suggests you might be feeling lonely, what do you think yourself? why don’t you get some help, and maybe highlight some ways to seek help.  We’re not psychologists, so we wouldn’t know really what the appropriate interventions are, but we can build that on top of what we’ve been doing.  

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How did you become interested in this area of research? 

I’ve been working with a colleague in the United States (US), and he was involved in smart cities research and invited me to visit. I went to one workshop they organized at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2018, while we were discussing collaboration. There is a funding scheme between the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US, so we were looking for somebody in Northern Ireland and the person we found was working on sort of social issues in city environments. Out of that I became more interested in the social aspect, but the project didn’t go ahead. In connection with the proposal, the topic of loneliness came up and I was looking for someone who was working on loneliness, and that’s when I found Professor Eleanor Bantry White in UCC. We have been collaborating since about 2019; we’ve shared a postdoc, and we have a couple of PhD students now working together. 

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How do you see your research contributing to society, for example, what impact would you like your research to have? 
 

What I’m trying to do is look at real problems that exist in society and try to find interesting and creative solutions using scientific principles. It’s kind of trying to explore also different ways of going about finding solutions, not doing the same old. From my own work, my area of expertise, can we find a different way to do it or a new solution? That’s how I look at it. 

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What inspired you to pursue a career in research? 

I like to learn and find out new things. I’ve learned lots of things that are new to me, but at some point, I felt that maybe I could also help others learn things that nobody knows yet. That’s what research does. When I was a teenager, I was a bit of a computer nerd, I was in the early computer space in the 1980s and I learned programming before I went to university. I always like to create technical systems, but as I said earlier, at some point, I didn’t want to create these systems just for the sake of it or for my own pleasure. I wanted to do something useful with them. That’s how I got into it and how I continue to find it enjoyable and meaningful. 

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In your opinion, what are some of the most important skills needed to succeed as a researcher? 

One of the most important skills is curiosity, really willingness to learn, but also being critical and being self-critical, not just believing something because somebody says it, but looking at what others are doing and what you’re doing yourself in a critical manner. I don’t mean a critical manner as in dismissive, but in a constructive critical manner. That’s an important life skill that most people should have because there’s so much misinformation in the world these days and people believe it without being critical. I think it’s an important skill for researchers, also being curious and trying to be creative as well, because to find new solutions you often must be creative. 

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What would you consider to be your greatest achievement to date as a researcher or is there something you are currently working towards achieving? 

Well, I think what makes me most proud is that the people I’ve supervised have succeeded and have gone on to do fantastic things, really great things. That’s what I’m most proud of, not any specific single achievement. I don’t think I’ve done anything that one might consider as outstanding on the technology side, in a global context. But I think the people I’ve supported in achieving what they wanted to achieve, and I could help put them on the road to doing great things; that’s what I think is my greatest achievement. 

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What is the biggest challenge or challenges that you face or have faced as a researcher? 

It is not easy to keep your research going and to continuously find the funding to maintain a research group, to make sure you stay current, reinvent yourself every so often, not to go stale. That’s hard. I find that’s part of the hardest bit, to reinvent yourself, to keep things going and to keep it fresh. 

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Can you give an insight into any interesting ongoing or upcoming projects that you are involved in, or will be involved in? 

Science Foundation Ireland is looking for proposals for new research centres in Ireland,  
so we put together a new proposal focused on resilient networks, for resilient communities. Today we are hyper connected with each other. Our society heavily relies on resilient connectivity. We are bringing in also the social sciences to understand and to design future resilient networks that make society more resilient. So, we’ve put a proposal forward to research that with colleagues in the ADVANCE CRT, but also in the CONNECT Centre for Future Networks. 

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Can you share if and how do you see resilience and loneliness connected? 
 

You know, society faces lots of challenges such as climate change, food shortages in certain areas. We need to figure out how can we be resilient as a society to face this impact. There is an ever-growing gap between the rich and poor which is really concerning and there are lots of negative aspects that social networks bring for example. Loneliness I think is one of these aspects. From my perspective, I’m a technologist, we need to see how we can use technology in a positive way, rather than create unintended negative issues, to make us more resilient, overcoming loneliness and other well-being issues. 

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Is there any research that others are engaged in at present that is of interest to you? 

There’s a lot of stuff going on that interests me, and I’m not working on myself, but I find it interesting. I’m in this job because I like learning and I’m curious. I’m today at a big event on embedded systems, developing electronics and software that manage our modern world. I’m interested to see new creative applications of the Internet of Things like monitoring human behaviour to detect well-being issues, societal applications and maybe applications that make our environment better, that are more responsive perhaps, that could support people with disabilities, and be more energy efficient, for example. 

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If you could offer one piece of advice to someone starting out a career in research, what would it be? 

I would suggest to be open minded, be curious and develop critical thinking, don’t take what others are doing as a given, be critical about it and try to understand it, develop your own thoughts about it. I see a lot of students who are good at learning things and at repeating things, and to me they don’t seem to be critically engaging with what they’re doing. I really think that’s something important, and as I said earlier, it’s also an important life skill. 

Addressing loneliness in old age: Technological solutions and alternatives.

by | Apr 16, 2024 | Loneliness and technology, older people

Technology has shaped the way we interact with people and how we perceive the world. It allows us to keep in touch with loved ones, make friends and be part of online communities. At the same time, there is a small risk that technology can worsen loneliness by creating a sense of disconnection from our immediate surroundings and leading to superficial understanding of our relationships. For older adults particularly, it can be challenging to keep social connections in an increasingly digitally connected world. 

As part of my doctoral studies, I explore older adults’ decisions to use and current use of technology, and how this may be related with the person’s identity. In this blog I will discuss the benefits and downsides of technology to address loneliness in older adults using some insights from my own research, while also raising awareness of the need to understand loneliness as both an individual experience and a social phenomenon.  

Why is loneliness a priority?

Loneliness is described as subjective negative and painful experience resulting from the absence or inadequate meaningful social connections. [1] While loneliness refers to people’s feelings and experiences, social isolation refers to the state of having a reduced number of social contacts and interactions, which can increase the risk of loneliness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 older people are socially isolated. [2]

Loneliness is a growing social issue. The EU-Loneliness Survey (EU-LS 2022) found that 13% of the people who took part living in the EU feel lonely most, or all the time. It also showed Ireland had the highest levels of loneliness in the EU (20%) [3] ALONE recently published a report showing 58% of older people supported by their services in 2023 experienced loneliness. [4]

With COVID-19, decreasing loneliness and social isolation became a priority, especially for older adults. The joint report on 2020 from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and ALONE found that during the pandemic Irish older people experienced increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety and isolation. [5] The pandemic also triggered an almost forced cascade of technology use regardless of age. Family became more involved in helping older members to make video calls and do online shopping, while the technology market exploded. However, the digital divide and fair access to technology, along with support do affect the choices older adults make about using technology.

Older people’s technology engagement.

As part of my doctoral research, I have interviewed a small group of older adults to understand their experiences as potential or current users of Assistive Technology (AT). AT uses technology to create products that help people, especially older adults and those with disabilities or ongoing health issues, by facilitating daily tasks and improving individuals’ abilities. Through these interviews, I have noticed older adults acknowledge the benefits of technology in their daily lives, but recognize they often have difficulties with online banking and struggle when little or no support is available to them. 

The older adults I interviewed keep preferring face-to-face social interactions; they engage with community groups (i.e., Maynooth Senior Citizens [6], Naas Men’s Shed [7], church choirs, bridge and bingo clubs, etc.) where possible. Overall, they embraced technology as part of their current lives mainly as a way of keeping in touch with their family and friends. Indeed, published research highlights that videoconferencing and telephone calls are the most common uses of technology to enhance social interactions. [8]

Loneliness and Technology in old age.

To understand how loneliness and technology connect, it is important to consider things like, age, gender, socioeconomic status, cultural background, previous exposure to technological devices, people’s different levels of expertise and training as well as support available. For older adults, bringing technology into everyday life doesn’t happen spontaneously. It is a slow process where people might start off by resisting it, and eventually learn to use it more effectively and purposefully. [9] Having meaningful support available is very important when it comes to shape patterns of use and maximise the benefits of technology, it also enhances social interaction with others through technology. 

There are different technological and digital solutions that have been designed to reduce loneliness starting by the oldest of inventions, the telephone. The Internet, Social Media platforms and videoconferencing are of the most common solutions people can use to stay connected and become part of communities with similar interests. According to a study, social robots and virtual pets are the most frequent interventions to reduce loneliness and enhance social support, followed by digital games —involving Virtual Reality (VR)—, remote e-health services, virtual social support groups and digitally delivered activities (i.e. physical exercise) among others. [10] However, the value and efficacy of these solutions need to be assessed at larger scales. There is also a need for major policy changes to make these solutions more accessible to people.

It is important to note that even technology not initially designed to address loneliness, can influence older adults’ social interaction. For example, a study found that when it comes to receiving emergency assistance services, older adults have indicated that a personal voice contact support better their safety, as opposed to an automated voice message. There is a preference for face-to-face medical care which provides more seamless communication than that offered through technological devices. [11]

On the flip side, while most of the studies highlight the benefits of technology in addressing loneliness, a few show a risk of not succeed. For example, it was found that the use of social robots can increase feelings of loneliness and disappointment, while introducing conversational styles that can infantilise older adults.  [12] Other studies show technology can also make older adults feel like they are missing out and lead to negative emotions. [13] The impact of social media on self-isolation and low self-esteem among young people is often discussed but older adults are not exempt from this. I would add that media representation of this age group is still far from depicting ageing in its most diverse forms and styles. 

What else can be done?

Across the EU, UK and US, governments have made it a priority to tackle loneliness. In Ireland, the Loneliness Taskforce (LT) brings together about 14 organisations to address loneliness in Ireland and inform policy changes. [14] The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) hosts a webpage for older people in situations of loneliness and social isolation; it provides general resources, suggestions to reach out and engage in social activities/groups and computer skills courses, and a confidential 24 hours Seniorline. [15] Moreover, the work done by ALONE stands out by reaching out to older people ageing at home and offering them befriending support —in person and over telephone—, technology and housing support. [16] 

Overall, we must recognize that technology has promising potential to alleviate loneliness in older adults, offering alternatives to keep meaningful social connections and participation. However, it is important to acknowledge that ageing can be experienced very differently among people and not everyone experiences loneliness in the same way. Therefore, the effectiveness of technology can be improved with adequate support and guidance, addressing the challenges older adults may face in adopting new technologies. Balancing these aspects, technology can indeed transform the way we address loneliness in our aging population.

Yanet Morejon Hernandez

Yanet Morejon Hernandez

Research Intern

PhD Candidate at the Department of Psychology and the Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute in Maynooth University; funded by the SFI Centre for Research and Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT). Yanet is currently working as a Research Intern with ALONE. Her main research interests are in the areas of health psychology, Assistive Technology and gerontechnology, with a particular focus on individuals’ meanings of technology use and the intersection of technology and self-identity in older adults.

Yanet holds master’s in educational psychology and a bachelor’s in psychology with Summa Cum Laude honours, both at the University of Havana, Cuba. She previously worked as a researcher in the Cinema and Audiovisual Research Group at the Cuban Institute for Cultural Research, exploring cinema consumption, adult’s cultural participation, and the impact of communication technologies on children’s education in the family context.