September 8, 2010

Baby Boomers are joining the Social Networking World in Record Numbers

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Baby Boomers grew up in a world with three or maybe four TV channels that would sign off at the end of each day. Our high tech toys were Erector Sets, auto racing sets and toy electric trains. When we became parents, the marketing world targeted Boomers with new tech toys, knowing that we would buy in frenzy because we didn’t have anything like it when we were young. As Boomers grew up, the world went through so many major technical discoveries, that naturally, we all became fascinated with it all.

Boomers grew up through the 20th century and played a part in the fastest growth of scientific discoveries the world has known, and yet as computers and the Internet started to become a part of our daily lives and in our jobs, Boomers were in their 4th decade and became less likely to jump into the quickness of change with computers and the Internet. Many could not keep up the same pace of understanding and therefore resisted becoming as knowledgeable as our children, who grew up with computers being second nature, through their toys and video games

Boomer parents found they were being left behind and clueless to knowing what their children were doing on the Internet. This, of course, made many even more wary of the Internet, due to bad news stories of children and others being victimized. Parents found they had to begin to learn more about this “Internet thing”. 

As the main venue of Baby Boomers, television began displaying nearly everything in terms of the Internet, website addresses in news stories and advertisements, Boomers became more and more aware that they were being left out of this new media venue. Over the last decade, and especially over the last couple of years, Baby Boomers have jumped into the social networking world in staggering numbers. They have discovered how they can reconnect with family members and friends they haven’t seen or spoken with for years.

According to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, Internet usage among people over the age of 50 has doubled over the last year, growing from 22% to 42%.

It takes Baby Boomers a while to join into new ideas, but once we do, the resulting effects are always overwhelming, in many perspectives. Boomers still love new inventions. We grew up seeing some of the most amazing technical advances of our world’s history. Now that we are in our mature years, we may be slow to start, but as Boomers join in a movement, so goes the growth and possibilities.

Source: Wikipedia

3 comments:

LoveBeingRetired said...

All true observations - my kids (23 and 21) are wizards on the internet, Facebook gurus, and on line gamers extraordinaire! I have been an emailer and web surfer for years but just recently investigating the social media options from Twitter to blogs and it is never a dull moment. I wonder what my kids will be investigating when their children are 21 years old...

Bill Birnbaum said...

More and more boomers are giving up on television and moving toward the far more interactive social media. Blogging especially offers an intellectual outlet for those who have much to contribute. Bill

David said...

Thanks for reading and your comments!!!

I also wonder what future generations are going to have to deal with. I can definitely see television, as we know it, totally changing and current standard cable companies should be preparing to loose memberships by huge numbers. They will all be leasing Verizon's fiber lines to the homes. This fiber will be giving the next generations their computer based entertainment and information.