Social Media Bootcamp

A report released on August 27 by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project makes one thing clear: young people aren’t the only ones using social media anymore.

While young people still dominate social media use, their growth has slowed in recent years compared to the giant leaps of growth seen among Internet users over the age of 50.

According to the study:

• One in five (20%) of online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up 10% one year ago.

• Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.”

• Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking site usage grew 88% among Internet users aged 55-64. Among Internet users 65 and social networking presence grew 100% in the same time frame. (from Mashable article)

According to the project’s senior research specialist, Mary Madden, email still dominates interpersonal communication among people in this demographic. But, it’s impossible to ignore the huge growth rates in social media.

What do these numbers mean? That social media is here to stay – and it’s important for every business, especially those that seek to attract and build relationships with customers over the age of 50.

Read more about this trend:

You can look at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project study’s full findings and a report summary here.

This NPR story highlights social media use among seniors and highlights the steps being taken to ensure their online privacy.

Mashable discusses the Pew Center study’s results here.

This MediaPost article looks at the findings from a marketing and advertising perspective.