Many countries around the world are grappling with the same issue: their citizens are getting older and older, as people live longer and have fewer children. What may surprise you is that the internet is undergoing a similar transformation; it’s no longer the exclusive domain of young people.
The stereotype of ‘elderly Facebook user’ can sometimes be the subject of derision and humor, often due to the typos or confusion some older users experience online. While you may fear for your elderly relative’s internet safety as they might be targets of scams or increasingly scary viruses, it turns out they’re as addicted to their devices as the rest of us. The average baby boomer is actually spending 27 hours a week online.
In some ways, older people use the internet like everyone else, with 78% saying they use it to keep up with their topics of interest. However, a full 33% see the internet as a trusted source of information–potentially dangerous numbers in a post-fake-news world. 66% of older people use the internet to access news or other information with Fox News, Bloomberg, and Weather.com being cited as popular destinations. What’s certain, though, is that older people are getting more and more connected, and their influence on the internet will only continue to grow.