Social networking use among Internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled in the year ending May 2010, jumping from 22% to 42%. During that year social network usage among young people only grew 13% but they still dominate social networks. This repeats the pattern of Web adoption where adults 50 to 65 started out slow but at one time exceeded usage by young adults 18 to 24.
According to Pew Internet Report author Mary Madden, e-mail still dominates online communication for the 50 and older set as
it does for adults in general.
From the Pew Internet Report:
- Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among Internet users ages 50-64 grew by 88%--from 25% to 47%.
- During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%--from 13% to 26%.
- By comparison, social networking use among users ages 18-29 grew by 13%—from 76% to 86%.
“Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, but their growth pales in comparison with recent gains made by older users,” explains Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report. “Email is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications.”
- One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago.
- Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.
At the same time, the use of status update services like Twitter has also grown—particularly among those ages 50-64.
- One in ten Internet users ages 50 and older now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.
See also
Seniors and social Networking: Facebook vs. Twitter
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