## 4 Discussion
### Call for More Inclusive Research on Older Persons' ICT Access and Use in the Arab Region  
The fact that only 11 studies met the inclusion criteria indicates a scarcity of evidence and research regarding ICT access and use among older persons in the Arab region compared to other regions of the world and other fields of technology-related study. While older persons in the Arab world are increasingly using technology, there remains less information about access, use, and the policies that guide that use. Our paper identifies the countries that have prioritized this area in their research agenda, namely Saudi Arabia, and calls upon us to reflect on the reasons why insufficient evidence exists in the rest of the Arab countries. While most older persons in the Arab countries share similar historical and cultural backgrounds, founded mainly on religion, they are not a homogenous group [37]. Future work should encompass and compare ICT access and use by older persons in other Arab countries. This would provide a more accurate overview and different perspectives on and insights into ICT access and use status among older persons in the region. There is also an need to examine the barriers and opportunities for ICT access and use by older persons and how they play out differently across different countries and, for example, urban or rural divides within each country. Other demographic attributes such as gender,age cohorts, intergenerational living arrangements, socioeconomic status, education etc. could also provide crucial insights, enabling us to nuance our findings further. More specifically, our scoping review indicated the need to delve deeper into context-specific challenges, mainly cultural factors that could benefit technology developers and researchers in devising appropriate solutions for older persons in the region.  
The aging population is increasing. It also is changing [14]. In the upcoming years, a new cohort of older persons will come forth who were more exposed to ICT use in the workplace and daily life than current and previous generations. In addition, new technologies are emerging every day. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged many previous assumptions about technology use and accelerated digital transformation and ICT access and use across the board [38]. For these reasons, research into ICT and aging becomes 'outdated' relatively quickly compared with other fields of study. Researchers in the field should be alert to technology advancement and the shifting demographics and needs of the aging populations. As shown in our review, many technology development projects are currently based on personas that portray older persons through assumptions that simplify our interactions with senior persons as end users. If not updated continuously, these personas have a 'best before' date and would probably fail to reflect the new aging cohort's needs and characteristics. It is still necessary and important to engage older persons in research and technology development and commercialization processes. Creating more inclusive research is the way to respect the ability of older persons to identify their own needs in order to work to support their varying abilities, challenges, and preferences [39; 31].