People often tend to think that social media and indeed the internet in general is something that only younger generations would use with any degree of regularity. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it has become apparent that senior citizens frequently use social media as well with all things having been considered and taken into account. In a new report released by OnePoll on behalf of ClearMatch Medicare, it was revealed that senior citizens use social media for 47 minutes every day on average.
This comes up to around 300 hours per year per person. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Facebook is their preferred platform, with 75% of their usage going towards it. YouTube comes in second with 28%, followed by Instagram with 10%.
Around 54% of the senior citizens that responded to this survey admitted that they use social media just to kill some free time. However, 61% used it to get in touch with people that they had lost contact with long ago. 58% also suggested that they use it to stay in touch with the individuals that are already in their lives, thereby alleviating the ever present danger of loneliness among senior citizens.
Despite the positives, there are also some negatives that we must take heed of. 66% of seniors said that they are more likely to find scams online, and 33% have already fallen prey to such scams. Furthermore, 34% ended up believing misinformation which is dangerous beyond measure.
Misinformation is particularly dangerous for seniors because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up warping their perceptions. Around 1 in 9 seniors don’t even have a clue about how they can go about spotting scams in the wild, and it is imperative that they are better informed so that they are less susceptible than might have been the case otherwise. Overall, social media use among seniors is likely going to go up in the short term if the trend persists.
Read next: 47% of Americans Anticipate AI in Search Engines Within The Next Five Years Over Other Technological Advancements
This comes up to around 300 hours per year per person. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Facebook is their preferred platform, with 75% of their usage going towards it. YouTube comes in second with 28%, followed by Instagram with 10%.
Around 54% of the senior citizens that responded to this survey admitted that they use social media just to kill some free time. However, 61% used it to get in touch with people that they had lost contact with long ago. 58% also suggested that they use it to stay in touch with the individuals that are already in their lives, thereby alleviating the ever present danger of loneliness among senior citizens.
Despite the positives, there are also some negatives that we must take heed of. 66% of seniors said that they are more likely to find scams online, and 33% have already fallen prey to such scams. Furthermore, 34% ended up believing misinformation which is dangerous beyond measure.
Misinformation is particularly dangerous for seniors because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up warping their perceptions. Around 1 in 9 seniors don’t even have a clue about how they can go about spotting scams in the wild, and it is imperative that they are better informed so that they are less susceptible than might have been the case otherwise. Overall, social media use among seniors is likely going to go up in the short term if the trend persists.
Read next: 47% of Americans Anticipate AI in Search Engines Within The Next Five Years Over Other Technological Advancements
