Social Networks: Boomers Feel Left Out
Even though baby boomers make up more than one quarter of all US Internet users, and even though the majority of this group spends over five hour per week online, a new survey by Burst Media found that only 14% of boomers feel that the content on the Internet is focused on people their age. An even smaller number of boomers (9.9%) thinks that Internet advertising is focused on their demographic. With regards to social networks, most boomers also think that these sites are not focused on people their age.
According to Burst Media, close to 80% of women and 76% of men under 34 belong to at least one social networking site. For baby boomers, these numbers drop to 50% and 44% respectively. Part of the problem here is that boomers don't think that these social networks are focused on their age group. Only 11.9% of boomers who belong to a social networking site think that the site is geared to people their age.
As the Burst Media survey notes, boomers actively look for different things online than younger users. Young adults look for entertainment news (49%), games (41%), local and national news (37%), and social media sites (36%). Boomers, on the other hand, are far more interested in local and national news (55%), shopping info (41%), and health info (40%).
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, Boomers make up 34% of Internet users in the US, and as a recent report from Forrester Research pointed out, this group is quite comfortable with creating and consuming social media. Social networks, however, still haven't quite found the right angle to draw these users in.
Bonus: Would Your Life be Disrupted if You Couldn't Get Online? 83% Say So
83% of respondents to this survey say that their daily routines would be disrupted if they couldn't get online. 41% even say that their lives would be 'significantly disrupted.' Interestingly, slightly more women (43.9%) than men (39.3%) think that their lives would be significantly disrupted without access to the Internet.
These are pretty impressive numbers, though we have to keep the methodology of this survey in mind. All of the respondents were Internet users, and this was an online survey. If Burst Media had also surveyed offline users, these number would probably have been slightly different.
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Note how entertainment news drops slightly in importance as you move to the 35-44 demo...and then drops off the cliff, never to be seen again in the older demos. There's a story there, too...about media that is no longer relevant to folks over 45.
Dave - very true. I hadn't actually thought about it from that perspective.
"With regards to social networks, most Boomers also think that these sites are not focused on people their age."
Senior citizens ( AKA boomers ) opinions of small screen devices match their opinions of social networks, almost exactly. Obvious connection there since updating your status and reading the statuses of others in your SN ( Twitter and Facebook ) is performed predominately with a small screen device.
...which is the *exact* reason Steve Jobs is so obsessed with releasing the iPod tablet. Its target ( only? ) sales demographic are senor citizens who don't surf the web on their mobile.
Part of me wonders if, when that time comes and i hit that age group, that i'll be glad to not be hounded so much by advertising.
Did anyone ask if the lack if they boomers cared whether or not they were targeted as much as before?
I cried so hard my eyes almost popped out. The generation that monopolizes everything from universities to radio to politics to (increasingly) hospitals found one medium that doesn't defer to them? That doesn't think George Carlin is hilarious and Carlos Santana is the greatest musician in the world? A medium that isn't three-quarters bald with a tiny ponytail in back? I... I... I told myself I wouldn't cry again.
Umm, I don't think we give a rat's a_s about whether this medium is about us. There are so many great opportunities and resources available through digital media, but a lot of it has become time consuming drivel.
Interesting read.
This is so very true. There are some new social sites coming out that are trying to meet the age groups in the middle. Tinkn.com is one of them.
We all need to think over of this problem.
That is so true of your saying.
The statistics just fit the society.
If boomers had computers since the day they were born like the under 34's the situation would be different. Boomers were late in life getting on the internet bandwagon. Like changing from a horse & buggy to a car. Many in the horse & buggy era never learned to drive, refused to do it. It's taken me 10 years online to catch up to the younger generation. And that was with hours of intense effort every week. Also boomers are more distracted with kids, grand kids, health issues, divorces etc etc...whereas the under 34's have more energy, & generally are more focused without so many distractions. I think all these issues come into play here.
Dear Todd:
RE: "Senior citizens (AKA boomers)"
FYI you young whippersnapper, Senior Citizens are those 65 and over.
Don't lump us Boomers into that category just yet!
Dear Susan:
RE: "under 34's have more energy"
Be careful about generalizations. I'm 61 and regularly beat the pants off my 27-year-old accountant at handball. (The guy I have trouble with on the court is my 88-year-old father...)
What's the expression? "Skill and treachery will always defeat youth and energy." ;-)
Some thought provoking numbers generated from this study. I have to question though the researchers level of confidence in their study of all online users from the sampled users who responded to the study. Assuming the results are representative of the population, one of many inferences that can be drawn is that there is an entire network of people out there willing and able to use the internet, but don’t find it welcoming. Consider a social buying site that caters to all demographics, in the sense, as more buyers purchase a product the lower the price. Buyers have an incentive to promote products to their social networks and savings become available for all parties.
-Greg Mesaros CEO eWinWin