Paper Title
The Effects of Using Social Media to Reduce Loneliness of The Elderly

Abstract
This study aimed to find out how Thai elderly people’s feelings of loneliness were affected by their choice and use of digital media. The study sample consisted of 100 randomly selected elderly people aged over 60 years residing in Na-kaew subdistrict, Lampang province, Thailand. Participants were given a questionnaire with three sections. The 1st section included questions relating to participants’ demographic characteristics. The 2nd section, adapted from Russell’s (1996) “Loneliness Scale (Version 3)”, related to participants’ perceived state of loneliness. The 3rd section related to their choices of media and time spent on them. Data was analyzed using statistical methods. Study findings show that elderly people from different social settings and with changing demographic features display differing degrees of loneliness. There were significant relationships between the forms of media the elderly used, their related choices, aims, perceived state of loneliness and accessibility to digital media. Keywords - Elderly, Social Media, Loneliness.