Boom of Adults on Social Networking Sites

Be it birthday videos or blogs, youngsters have been engaged with social networking from the start. Now, the older generations are catching up. As such Web sites increase in popularity every day, ComScore  shows MySpace  as having an average user age of 35, and Facebook  having almost 40 percent of users over 35.

Older users are beginning to appreciate social networking sites for the features that younger users have enjoyed all along. You can search for friends, play games online, recommend movies and books … the list is endless.

Social networking is one of the great ways to find long lost friends and stay in touch. You can catch up on what is happening in your high-school teacher's life or what your senior-year prom date is up to. Many middle-aged people and older find it to be a great tool to find friends and relatives.

On the flipside, many social networking Web sites now allow you to customize the information you want to share or hide from the public. You can selectively display details such as your city, employer, and interests, depending on who you want to see them.

Parents of teenagers are finding it helpful to join in order to monitor their children. Other parents do not join to avoid "intruding" on their children’s privacy, but Facebook cannot be viewed the same as a private bedroom. Strangers do not enter a child’s bedroom, but they do browse profiles marked as public on social networking sites. It is recommended that parents whose children use social networking should also participate, so they know what their children are exposed to.

Older adults are a welcome addition to these sites, but they may need some time to adjust to the culture of social media. Consider some of these guidelines to avoid making an Internet faux pas or revealing too much:

• Think twice. With social networking, communication is through text alone and lacks the facial expression and tone of voice that clarifies what is meant. Pause before posting something to consider whether it could be misread. A comment can be misinterpreted and might lead to wrong judgments being made about people, including you.
• Practice restraint.Users of all ages can practice certain social skills online, such as self-presentation. It takes good judgment to avoid uploading photos or posting remarks that you would not want a supervisor or colleague to see. A picture showing you with beer bottles in weird positions might seem funny at one point in time, but not from a professional standpoint.
• Balance your interests.Users may take advantage of social networking sites to help manage work, time, and relationships. You could even build up your personal interests by promoting events and sharing ideas with others about organizations and initiatives that interest you.

On a final note, adults, like children, could benefit from a warning about spending too much time online. By putting up “What are you doing right now?” comments on social networking sites, you can practically share and store every minute of your life. Features, such as Facebook's Posts and Notes, allow you to send messages to people that could have been done through a regular telephone conversation, a birthday card in the mail, or personal visit. Electronic communication might be a good way for friends to keep in touch, but it should not become the only way. Be sure to continue talking with friends and co-workers through traditional methods of communication.

References

• Demographic Composition Continues to Shift  (ComScore)
• Facebook for Parents  (Stanford University)
• Older Generation Join Social Networks  (CNN)
• Why Facebook is for Fogies  (Time Magazine)
• Women over 55 Flocking to Facebook  (Rushmore Drive)

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