23 Mar
Use of IT Increasing Amongst Older Age Groups, Including in Travel
Derek Thompson, who writes about technology for The Atlantic, predicts that as the world ages, the development of technology will expand to cater the needs of the ageing. A Pew Internet study shows that 81% of younger Boomers (those born between 1956-1965), 76% of older Boomers (1946-1955), 51% of the Silent Generation (1937-1945), and 30% of the G.I. Generation (born before 1937) use the internet. And Pew reports that “the fastest growth has come from internet users 74 and older: social network site usage for this oldest cohort has quadrupled since 2008, from 4% to 16%.” Also, wireless net access is definitely not the exclusive province of youth. Like the recent iPass mobile workforce study — which put the median aged of a mobile-enabled worker at 46 — Pew found that 55% of people aged 46-55 access websites or other digital media or services via a laptop, cell phone, or other internet-connected mobile device. And Baby Boomers are using the web as much or more than younger users to make travel reservations (Millenials 64%, Gen X 67%, Young Boomers 70%, older Boomers 67%, Silents 61%, and G.I.s, 53%).
An American Express study reports that more than half (54%) of Canadians aged 55 to 64 say being able to access the internet anywhere has changed their overall spending habits. This indicates that devices such as Smartphones will continue to prove popular among Baby Boomers. And in the USA, older shoppers make more purchase of health, beauty, food, and beverage products on line than do younger shoppers. In addition, the percentage of older Americans using GPS is the same as for the younger groups (25%). While younger age groups currently predominate on Facebook, about 20% are 40 or older. And check this neat You Tube post from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which shows that people 65 or older are adopting Facebook faster than any other age group, that the largest group on Twitter are people 35-49, and that the largest demographic on Match.com is 50 year olds.
