More surprising data on Facebook: Older generations join social networks (what does this means for your conversion optimization efforts?)
I have to admit that I joined Facebook many years ago not so much because I was interested in participating in a social network overpopulated by teens, but primarily as a way of stalking my own kids. Well, it looks like I was ahead of the curve.
While online social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are known hang-outs for younger adults and teenagers, older generations in recent months have been taking to the medium at a faster rate than any other age group, according to industry reports.
According to an informal survey by Stanford University professor BJ Fogg, many of these older folks use social networks to keep tabs on younger family members and they often find fruitful connections with their peers after they’ve friended all of their kids and grandkids. (Yes, “to friend” is now a verb).
Facebook’s popularity is growing most quickly among women older than 55, according to a site called Inside Facebook, which tracks Facebook’s growth.
• There are now about 1.5 million female users older than 55 on the site — roughly a 550 percent increase over six months ago
• By comparison, membership among people younger than 25 grew by less than 20 percent over the same period
Facebook now says it has 200 million users, making its user base larger than the populations of all the world’s countries except China, India, the United States and Indonesia.
Such a vast presence, coupled with news media buzz about all social media, has pushed online social networking to a “tipping point,” said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
But older folk have concerns:
• They often must overcome fears about privacy issues before they will join Facebook
• Also often they don’t understand the interface
• Many are afraid of scams
All this bodes well for marketers attracting older customers via Facebook – as long as the differences are noted.
To read up on Twitter user profiles go here and to learn how Men differ from Women (online, anyway) go here.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
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October 26th, 2011 at 11:45 am
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