Transcript Older Adults + Social Networking Mary Madden Project GOAL Panel National Press Club October 18, 2011

Older Adults + Social Networking
Mary Madden
Project GOAL Panel
National Press Club
October 18, 2011
About Pew Internet
• Part of the Pew Research Center,
a non-partisan “fact tank” in
Washington, DC
• Studies how people use digital
technologies
• Does not promote specific
technologies or make policy
recommendations
• Research is primarily based on
nationally representative
telephone surveys of adults
State of the Internet 2011
• 74% of adults are online.
• 56% use the internet on a typical day.
• Broadband adoption has slowed – 6 in 10 adults have
broadband at home.
• Most who don’t have broadband at home don’t use the
internet at all.
Home broadband adoption stable since 2009
Cell phone usage by different ages
Based on adult cell owners
18-29
(n=321)
30-49
(n=535)
50-64
(n=572)
65+
(n=430)
Send or receive text messages
95%
85%
58%
24%
Take a picture
91
81
60
37
Access the internet
64
54
26
10
Send a photo or video to someone
72
65
40
16
Send or receive email
51
46
26
10
Download an app
49
37
17
7
Play a game
53
44
18
7
Play music
58
39
16
4
Record a video
53
42
19
3
Access a social networking site
50
36
13
2
Watch a video
44
32
10
3
Post a photo or video online
37
26
9
5
Check your bank balance or do any
online banking
29
22
10
6
Participate in a video call or video
chat
14
5
2
2
Smartphone ownership is an inflection point
• 35% of US adults own a
smartphone
• One in four smartphone
owners say they mostly go
online using their phone.
Social networking site use by age group, 2005-2011
100%
86%
83%
76%
80%
70%
67%
61%
60%
49%
48%
51%
47%
30-49
50-64
40%
33%
25%
20% 9%
11%
8%
7%
2006
1%
25%
26%
13%
7%
4%
6%
0%
2005
18-29
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
65+
SNS use on a typical day by age group, 2005-2011
100%
80%
60%
60%
61%
18-29
51%
46%
39%
38%
40%
50-64
32%
31%
28%
20%
20%
2%
1%
1%
0%
2005
9%
2%
1%
4%
2%
2006
0%
2007
2008
10%
4%
2009
13%
2010
30-49
15%
2011
65+
Twitter use by age
% of internet users within each group
100%
13% of all online
adults use Twitter
80%
Half of Twitter users
access the service on
a cell phone
60%
40%
20%
16%
19%
18%
14%
9%
8%
7%
9%
8%
4%
4%
6%
0%
18-24
25-34
35-44
Nov 2010
45-54
May 2011
55-64
65+
Motivations for social networking use
• For adults ages 50+ staying
in touch with family is the
#1 reason they use SNS
• For adults under age 50,
staying in touch with friends
is more important
Barriers to social networking use
• Privacy management can be
confusing (for everyone)
• Security is still an issue and
social media sites have
unique vulnerabilities
• Perception that social
networking sites are
primarily spaces for college
kids and teens
Some Implications:
 Relevance needs to outweigh risk
 Relationships – particularly family
connections – are key
 Mobile connectivity changes people’s
understanding of the internet as a “just-intime” information resource
Thank you!
Mary Madden
Phone: 202-419-4515
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mary_madden
Website: www.pewinternet.org