What a great time to be alive! Who could have ever imagined that all the world’s information could one day be readily accessed at the palm of your hands?
Going online is no longer the exclusive domain of the younger generations. Thanks to ever-evolving smartphones and consumer electronics, seniors are now more digitally connected than ever . Ease of use and better accessibility options for devices of all kinds allow seniors not just to do everyday things like read the news, but do some banking or shopping online as well.
Baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – are around 60 to 80 years old today, generally alive and kicking, and fortunate enough to witness the advancements of modern technology. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know exactly what kind of habits they have as far as going online is concerned?
For starters, more than 70% of internet users aged 65 and up now go online every day, clocking in about 27 hours on the internet each week. What’s interesting is that eighteen years ago (in the year 2000), this number was only 14%.
Studies have shown that seniors who are more educated, and those who belong to a higher income bracket also tend to own more than one internet-capable device – usually a tablet or a PC to go with a smartphone. And what are the top three topics accessed online by the older generations? News and weather, shopping, and food information.
Other fun facts: Almost two-thirds (63%) of 50- to 59-year olds now access TV content via the internet and streaming services. Baby boomers are 19% more likely to share stuff on Facebook compared to any other generation of users. A little more than half (55%) are on a social network or online community of some kind, while a quarter (26%) play online games, saying this helps to keep their mind sharp.
And yes, cat videos are still universally loved by this demographic, as 50% of baby boomer users watch online video for entertainment.
To understand the online habits of baby boomers even better, take a look at the following, specially prepared, infographic titled “The Elderly and the World Wide Web,” from our friends over at Med Alert Help.
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