Using Dan Farber, however, would be a TERRIBLE example. ;)
Interesting study from Third Age / JWT Boom, which shows how people over the age of 40 (presumably in North America, although there’s no mention that I can find of where they’re from) are engaged with social media on the Internets: the bottom line is that they’ve embraced email (in spite of the cacophony of cries that “email is dead“), but only a minority, about 20% were actively using social networking sites to keep in touch.
While another 20% might be interested, it seems like the vast majority just aren’t interested; furthermore, amongst the 50% who were neither using, nor interested, they gave reasons around privacy, time, and lack of benefit to using such services.
It seems like there was only one more thing that boomers were even LESS interested in and that was actively blogging (i.e. “writing blogging”).
In an interesting finding, boomers were *more* likely than younger users to participate in viral marketing campaigns, and more likely to share information about products or services with friends and family.
The interesting thing to me, actually, is that all of the above behaviours *perfectly* describe older members of my family of my parents generation. They *still* find value and worth in forwarding email jokes and lists; they pretty much *only* do email; and, they question the worth of something like Facebook, while cautioning me about its privacy issues. The only thing they “get” even less, of course, is blogging (and *me* blogging).
Does this sound at all familiar to any of you? Or is it merely ageist nonesense?
// via marketing charts
July 24th, 2008 at 8:00 pm | Permalink
No you’re pretty spot on. What really saddens me is to receive the forwarded email of some video or joke I saw a year ago on Digg / Reddit. But I don’t have the heart to direct the aged relatives in any other direction; it would just be too confusing. And blogging is always met with: oh, what about privacy? Your identity can be stolen online!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:27 pm | Permalink
@Webomatica // “your identity can be stolen online” — I get that all the time re: Facebook. Blogging just gets blank looks. ;)
July 24th, 2008 at 8:49 pm | Permalink
It’s ageist nonsense. I’m a “Boomer” age-wise, and I think this is BUNK, especially for women, but I think even including men. Boomers are all over the Web, using social networks. I’m getting really tired of this drivel. It’s about time people asked some real “Boomers” (I’m getting mighty tired of that label and age pigeonholing, by the way, in case you couldn’t tell).If you keep that stereotype in play, you’re missing a HUGE conversation opportunity, aka marketing/profit opportunity. Try checking out http://www.agewave.com and I can find you many, many examples of blogs, sites, community groups and social networks that refute claims in this post.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:35 am | Permalink
Weighing in on generational dynamics and social media use. A GenXer I am, I used Utterz. Turn your speakers on. http://is.gd/13EG
July 25th, 2008 at 8:44 am | Permalink
[...] and Blogs Jump to Comments @Technosailor just sent me a blog post link about Boomers and blogging. Or, better yet: How boomers aren’t adopting social media as much as younger generations. [...]
July 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am | Permalink
WRONG! While it is just starting, the “boomers” I know, and yes I am one born in 1959, are starting to join open socials in leaps and bounds! They just have not really discovered the beauty of them as yet. I belong to no less than 4 myself! With children in college and/or living at a distance, this will become the preferred way to stay in touch. I find it much easier to upload photos to one spot and let everyone access them there at their convenience.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:25 pm | Permalink
I agree with your conclusion. As one on the leading edge of the “boomer” generation, I’s shocked how little footprint the “average” folk in my generation have left on the Internet.
Honestly, I just don’t get it, there seems to be tremedous resistance.
Frankly, it makes me angry because these kids weren’t so stone headed when they were youngsters.
I don’t know what happened to them.
TvNB
July 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am | Permalink
Considering that there are now so many social networks catering to such a wide range of niches, my biggest problem is finding ones relevant to me and related to my specific interests or product niches. Google seems to be inefficient and returns alot of irrelevant results. A good resource that I use to find them is this search engine for social networking sites.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:40 am | Permalink
Hallo und schau mal rein in meinen Sport-Blog
August 1st, 2008 at 11:12 am | Permalink
I have to wonder how they selected their study population, because this does not fit in with my experience either. If they surveyed boomers who primarily use the computer as a tool for work, I can perhaps see why they drew that conclusion. However, I know many boomers who are embracing social networking — perhaps not so much MySpace and Facebook (which seem to target a much younger audience) but places such as LinkedIn, Ning’s communities, and other more specialized sites.
@cathryn: There is apparently a real spate of ageism cropping up on the Web this summer — this is just the latest example. What is going on???