In the two articles I read, "Older Adults & Internet Use and Pew Internet: Social Networking" I was not shocked at all with the statistics and data found. I have aunts and uncles of all different ages up on Facebook or at least with an e-mail account. Both of my parents have a Facebook and Linked In that I know of, and my aunts and uncles along with my dad's uncles have a Facebook and keep in touch with me through the social networking site. I find that with the elder age groups, they have a lot of spare time and Facebook is a fun spot to burn that time. My dad's uncle who is in his mid 60's plays games using Facebook, for example he can play Words with Friends using Facebook and I play him using my phone. None of my Grandparents however, have a Facebook, only e-mail.
Families move and only get to see one another every so often during the year. Facebook is a great way for grandparents to watch their grand children grow. They can see photos and updates about their lives on a daily basis. A lady I work for has Facebook, but also recently got an I Pad so that she could Skype with her granddaughter. She does not like it though, and complains constantly how it is a pain in the butt to work. For me on the other hand Skype is literally the click of a button. Skype is another website I feel like older people use for means of keeping in touch and communication.
It does not surprise me at all that people over the age of 65 drop off the spectrum for Internet use.It did surprise me however that so many elders own cell phones. My Memere has one but she is so clueless when it comes to technology. It took her a while to learn how to send texts on her phone, and it still takes her quite a bit to send the simplest of a text. I feel as if the technology is too overwhelming for them and they just don't have the patience to sit down and figure it out. I can't imagine myself in 50 years sitting down to new technology and having the patience or care in the world for that matter to learn how to use it. There comes a point where it becomes more of a hassle than a luxury.
The reason I believe that the Internet usage numbers are going up in the older age group is because it is a part of the new world. These websites have now been brought into the work field and are a way of getting a company or product out there for the world to see. People are not retiring as young as they once did, so taking into factor that they are still working, they need to know how to use these social media websites in order to keep up with their job. It is very important.
Lastly, when the article started discussing the use between genders and Facebook that sounded about as accurate as I believed it to be. My boyfriend is constantly telling me I spend too much time on all these sites. He never goes on his Facebook account or checks it and claims he is going to delete it because of how dumb it is. I tried to delete mine and I only lasted a month and a half. I felt like I was no longer connected with my friends and that even though I still saw them everyday that I was missing out on the virtual world friendship. It is really sad the power that these sites have on an individual. I feel like for girls it is a more enjoyable site because we are the more social gender and love gossip and taking photos and letting everyone know everything about them where men are more conserved and keep to themselves.
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