The online world has gotten some seasoning.
A recent Pew Research Center study reports that for the first time, half of adults ages 65 and older are online.
Okay, maybe they’re not shoving their grandkids aside to hit the internet. But, Pew states their numbers are growing.
Getting Connected
The study had some interesting findings about the American seniors’ online activity.
Internet/email
- 53 percent, ages 65 and older, use the internet or email
- Of those users, 75 percent access the internet daily
- Those 76 and older are not burning up the keyboard – only 34 percent use the internet
Throwing in the or email is a significant factor.
The study reports ~
- As of August 2011, 86 percent of internet-using seniors ages 65 and older use email
- 48 percent use email daily
Cell Phone
Seniors are going mobile.
- 69 percent (ages 65 and older) have a mobile phone
- That’s a 12 percent increase from May 2010
- 56 percent of the 76 and older crowd report owning one as well
- That’s up 10 percent from 2010
As one of my readers will no doubt point out, some of those seniors may have jumped age categories between 2010 and 2012.
- I leave the methodology to the Pew research Center
- I could explain their methodology
- Well, actually, no I couldn’t (despite reading it)
You can find it in Pew’s Older Adults and Internet Use report.
Social Media
Seniors, 65 and older, hope you Like them.
- Between April 2009 and May 2011, social networking increased 150 percent
- 13 percent used it in 2009, compared to 33 percent in 2011
- As of February 2012, 34 percent use platforms, such as Facebook
- 18 percent report it’s a daily habit
New Markets
All good marketing starts with understanding your readers.
With an increasing number of seniors going online, do you see potential there?
As one who can see the senior tag in the not-too-distant future (if I’m wearing my glasses), I can think of one communication change we could all make.
Use larger-sized fonts.
What opportunities do you see?
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Good takeaway, Cathy. 🙂
It’s true. So many more older members of my family are becoming more “connected”. Even my mother, the queen or privacy, just joined Facebook, although now she complains that she knows too much about people. 🙂
Thanks, Sharon. 🙂
Hi Anthony-so good to see you here! I’m keeping my mother off Facebook! Although now she asks me every day if this niece or that nephew posted anything on their wall. 😀
I’ve noticed the same trend among the seniors I know, although my mother hasn’t really gotten on the bandwagon.
She does always want to hear the latest news from Facebook though, especially about her grandkids.
Hi John: I think it is totally cool that my Mom got her 1st computer at age 85. Now, you can’t keep her off it (she’s 89 now). 🙂
Like I told Anthony, I keep her off Facebook. I just don’t trust them enough with her privacy. But, she is an email queen and has gotten more comfortable with surfing the net.
Thanks for sharing your story, John.
Yes to larger fonts! Both online and off.
I’m not at all surprised seniors are going online… it’s always been a growing market segment and now more and more ‘seniors’ actually weren’t when the web got started.
I thought you’d like that font size suggestion, Anne. 😉
And you are so right, they haven’t always been seniors. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.