As older adults become more technology savvy, the dilemma of “friending” between grandparents, parents, and children is rising. This kind of transparancy between generations has never occured before, but some younger people are allowing their parents and grandparents into their lives at the most intimate level, among “friends.” Deleware Online reports
Facebook memberships among 45- to 65-year-olds have grown 89 percent since January, from 4.3 million to 8.2 million. The 45- to 55-year-old contingent grew by 165 percent from September to February, according to InsideFacebook.com, the site’s own tracking of membership trends.
Also, the number of women age 55 and older on Facebook grew by 175 percent between September and February, and the number of men age 55 and older grew by 137 percent.
Tags: baby boomer, Facebook, friending, social networking
June 29, 2009 at 5:54 am
Facebook is magical: I’ve just found relatives that I haven’t seen in many many years; pictures of children of cousins whom I have NEVER seen; pictures of their friends and spouses and children. I’m a first generation American and thrilled at my age to see scores of my relatives assimilated
into the mainstream. Unfortunately the folks my age continue to be reluctant (and those are the ones I’m most interested in!).
June 29, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Allan, any thoughts why older adults are reluctant to utlize social networking platforms?
June 29, 2009 at 11:14 pm
A friend of mine recently, at my suggestion, resisted getting a cell phone. Finally he relented and now uses it like an appendage; even gave up his land phone. Resistance to new technology, seems to me, to be part fear of things new, lack of knowledge, inertia, and not having it as part of our life as youngsters…we might prefer pin ball games, say, to video games or jogging to pilates. Once past the resistance, though, it’s full speed ahead. My older brother uses a computer, but wants no part of cell phones, or blogs, or twitters- or facebook, etc. Using myself, as an example: Blueray is probably advanced technology, but it means going from a technology that I know (DVD, DTV, etc.) to one that I know nothing about. We’re also wary that the technology is deliberately changed, so that we have to replace stuff we have (analog) with stuff that’s gonna cost us money (digital). DVR (Recording for a later time) is superb and convenient. My contemporaries want no part of it. Perhaps if there were meetings to discuss “progress”, and the reasons for it, more of us older folks would get on board…
June 30, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Allan very insightful…a wonderful idea to create a board or task force at Isaacs to begin to talk about this resistance and how we can engage more older adults online