Old catching up to young on Internet in the US -Governance Now

Old catching up to young on Internet in the US

Fastest adoption of social networking sites amongst adults aged 74 and above

PTI | December 16, 2010

They may been a bit slow to embrace the technology, but the old are fast catching up to young on Internet, particularly when it comes to using social networking and shopping websites in the US,a report has found.

According to the Pew Research Center report, adults aged 65 and older are now the fastest-growing group of people using the Internet, followed by by those aged 50 to 64.

Those those aged between 18 and 33 years are still way ahead in areas like using smartphones to connect online, their dominance is dropping in many web arenas, says the report.

"Even in areas that are still dominated by Millennials, older generations are making notable gains.

"Some of the areas that have seen the fastest rate of growth in recent years include older adults' participation in communication and entertainment activities online, especially in using social network sites such as Facebook," the US media quoted the study authors as saying.

The study report found that people aged between 46 and 55 years used social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter in May as compared to 20 per cent two years earlier.

Surprisingly the fastest adoption of social networking sites took place with adults aged 74 years and above, with use quadrupling in two years to 16 percent of the group, according to the report.

Overall use of online social networks by US adults of all ages nearly doubled in two years to 61 per cent, while 83 percent of young adults are members of such web communities, the study has found

"Searching for health information, an activity that was once the primary domain of older adults is now the third most popular online activity for all internet users 18 and older," the report said.

Comments

Other News

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.