NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL MARKETPLACE IN AN AGEING MALAYSIA: CHALLENGES FACING BABY BOOMER CONSUMERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/ijibs.v21.215Keywords:
Baby Boomers, Malaysia, digital divide, digital literacy, online scamsAbstract
Baby Boomer consumers, generally defined as individuals born between 1946 and 1964, represent a significant yet often misunderstood segment in today’s digital marketplace. In Malaysia, their importance is growing as the country experiences population ageing alongside rapid digital transformation in e-commerce, e-wallets, online banking, digital public services, telehealth, social media commerce, and AI-driven services. This paper examines the challenges faced by Baby Boomer consumers in the digital era, with a specific focus on Malaysia. Drawing on academic literature, policy documents, and industry reports published from 2020 onwards, it argues that Baby Boomers should not be viewed as digitally incapable or resistant to technology. Rather, their digital consumer experiences are shaped by factors such as access, affordability, digital literacy, trust, privacy, financial scams, payment anxiety, accessibility, language, cultural expectations, and the decline of human service. The Malaysian context highlights a key tension: older consumers are increasingly connected, but their participation in higher-risk digital activities remains uneven. The paper proposes a multidimensional framework based on access, capability, usability, trust, safety, autonomy, and representation. It concludes that Malaysia’s digital economy must become more age-inclusive to support confident, safe, dignified, and meaningful participation.
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