数字包容视角下破解老年“数字鸿沟”的电商平台责任与路径研究

Research on E-Commerce Platform Responsibilities and Pathways for Bridging the “Digital Divide” among the Elderly from a Digital Inclusion Perspective

摘要: 在人口老龄化与数字化进程加速交织的背景下，老年群体面临的“数字鸿沟”问题已超越技术接入层面，深化为使用技能、内容适用性与社会融入等多维度的数字排斥。电子商务作为数字生活的核心场景，既是数字鸿沟的集中体现场域，亦是构建包容性数字社会的关键突破口。本研究旨在超越单纯的技术适配视角，从“数字包容”理论出发，系统审视电商平台在适老化改造中的现状与局限，并基于企业社会责任(CSR)理论，明晰其在弥合数字鸿沟中的责任边界，进而构建电商平台践行数字包容的系统性实施路径。本文采用理论演绎与质性研究相结合的方法，通过梳理数字包容与企业社会责任的理论框架，并对国内主流电商平台的适老化实践进行案例比较与政策文本分析，深入剖析其当前存在的包容性缺失问题。研究发现，主流电商平台的适老化实践目前多停留在界面改造的浅层阶段，在技能赋能、内容建设与促进社会参与方面存在显著不足。研究论证，电商平台作为关键的数字基础设施，其社会责任要求其必须扮演好创新者、赋能者、连接者与守护者的多元角色。据此，本文从技术适配、内容建设、服务赋能与生态协同四个维度，提出了一套电商平台推动深度数字包容的系统路径，旨在推动其从“工具适配”向“能力赋能”与“人文包容”转变，为实现“老有所享”的数字生活提供理论参考与实践指南。

Abstract: Against the backdrop of accelerating population aging and digitalization, the “digital divide” faced by the elderly has transcended mere technological access, deepening into multidimensional digital exclusion encompassing usage skills, content suitability, and social integration. As a core scenario of digital life, e-commerce serves both as a concentrated arena for the digital divide and a critical breakthrough point for building an inclusive digital society. This study aims to transcend a narrow focus on technical adaptation. Grounded in the theory of “digital inclusion”, it systematically examines the current status and limitations of e-commerce platforms in aging-friendly redesign. Drawing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) theory, it clarifies the boundaries of corporate responsibility in bridging the digital divide, thereby constructing a systematic implementation pathway for e-commerce platforms to practice digital inclusion. This paper employs a combined approach of theoretical deduction and qualitative research. By mapping the theoretical frameworks of digital inclusion and corporate social responsibility, and conducting comparative case studies and policy text analysis of aging-friendly practices on major domestic e-commerce platforms, it delves into the current gaps in inclusivity. Findings reveal that mainstream platforms’ aging-friendly initiatives remain largely confined to superficial interface modifications, with significant shortcomings in skill empowerment, content development, and social participation promotion. The study argues that as critical digital infrastructure, e-commerce platforms bear a social responsibility to fulfill multiple roles: innovator, enabler, connector, and guardian. Accordingly, this paper proposes a systematic pathway for e-commerce platforms to advance deep digital inclusion across four dimensions: technical adaptation, content development, service empowerment, and ecosystem collaboration. This framework aims to drive their evolution from “tool adaptation” toward “capability empowerment” and “humanistic inclusion”, providing theoretical reference and practical guidance for realizing a digitally accessible lifestyle where “the elderly can enjoy life to the fullest”.