The Caring Corner®
Senior Citizens are Embracing Social Media
Grandparents are getting more comfortable with computers and smart phones and increasing their presence on the internet with the newest technology. The use of social media has gone up over 400% in the last five years. In 2010 only 3% of seniors age 65 and older used social media, compared to 11% today. Although 11% may not seem like an impressive increase, you have to realize that five years ago only 3 in 100 used social media and now 10 in 100 use it. Why are senior citizens increasingly online? One report says that they are trying to reconnect with old friends as well as connecting with their family and grandkids. Another reason is to find support about chronic illness or caregiving.
The biggest implication about all this is that social media marketing will increase in popularity. Marketers will use all the information from your Facebook page or online shopping searches to market to you specifically. There is all sorts of demographic information online from your age, sex and marital status to you hobbies, interests and location. Media managers can target you in their advertising and will have exact numbers on who saw the ad and if you clicked on it or if any action was performed. Companies are taking notice and will not only target the grandchildren, but the grandparents as well.
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by Sheri Chandler
