So the other day I stumbled upon an article about the elderly using social networking sites. It was awesome. Did you know they now have computer coaches and classes at homes for seniors! I had no idea how many older people used the internet, let alone SNS. Our friends over at the Pew Internet and American Life Project say that "the largest percentage increase in internet use since 2005 has been in the 70-75 age group... The survey found that 45 percent of that age bracket is online, compared with 26 percent in 2005"
ALMOST HALF OF THE 75 YEAR OLDS OUT THERE ACTIVELY USE THE INTERNET!
This boggles my mind. According one senior living community set up its own senior friendly kinda Facebook a year before it opened so that prospective residents could get to know other potential residents/neighbors. When the community opened in 2007, 70% of residents relied on the network "To check the daily calendar, offer suggestions to management, chat online with neighbors down the hall and share photos of recent parties". Other homes are offering Facebook classes... with long wait lists.
Like I said earlier, this is awesome. Why? Sarah Hoit, chief executive of MY Way Villiage, which designs online social networks for older adults, put it well "Social media are giving seniors a voice, and for a generation that has sometimes felt isolated and overlooked, that's no small feat" I don't the want the grand parents of the world feeling isolated (come on, who doesn't love their grand parents). And on a selfish note I don't want to be 80 and isolated!.
Anyway I just thought this was particularly interesting, because we have been talking about internet and social network use in pretty much every age bracket except for the elderly.
