Original Research The significance of digital citizenship in the well- being of older migrants A. Millard a,* , L. Baldassar a , R. Wilding b a Discipline of Anthropology and Sociology, The University of Western Australia, Australia b Department of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University, Australia article info Article history: Received 16 June 2017 Received in revised form 21 February 2018 Accepted 1 March 2018 Available online xxx Keywords: Ageing and migration Local and distant care networks Information and communication technologies Digital citizenship/digital literacy Social learning systems Communities of practice abstract Objectives: To understand the increasingly important role of digital citizenship (the ability to participate in society online) in supporting the well-being of ageing migrants. Study design: Participant observation, social network mapping, ethnographic and life- history interviews. Methods: Fifteen in-depth case studies examined the role of online participation in fostering the well-being and care of older migrants in Perth, Western Australia. Participants are members of an ‘internet caf e’ that facilitates their shared development of Internet skills. The case studies are derived from ethnographic research conducted between July and October 2016. Results: Older peoples' maintenance of support networks and social engagement, and their access to healthcare services, can be enhanced when they are motivated to increase their digital literacy (the ability to use the Internet for information and communication) through appropriate educational, technological, infrastructure and social support. This support is likely to be more effective when developed through social learning systems that create communities of practice. Improving digital literacy has special implications for the well- being of older migrants because it can enhance their ability to exchange emotional sup- port across distance. Conclusions: Digital literacy for older migrants can dramatically increase their ability to maintain and expand dispersed networks of support. Effective implementation of afford- able and age-inclusive information and communication technology (ITC) infrastructure requires integrated support that connects individuals and their homes with social learning systems to ensure that participation continues as mobility declines. As health information and social engagement are increasingly delivered through online platforms, supporting the digital citizenship of older people is becoming an important equity issue. © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: adele.millard@bigpond.com (A. Millard). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Public Health journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/puhe public health xxx (2018) 1 e5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.03.005 0033-3506/© 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article in press as: Millard A, et al., The significance of digital citizenship in the well-being of older migrants, Public Health (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.03.005