Baby Boomers and Social Networks

Earlier this week I looked at the demographics of blog readers which showed that the younger the user, the more likely he or she was to read or keep a blog on a weekly basis.

I focus so much on demographic data because it is important to understand who is using social networking sites before you start advertising on them. Recently I looked at some new social network user demographics which indicated that the Facebook demographic skews female and under 25, compared to other major social networks. That is important information to know if you are building a Facebook application.

One of the fastest growing U.S. demographics are baby boomers, who have the discretionary income that advertisers love. But do baby boomers use social networks? Not according to a new study from JWT BOOM/ThirdAge “Boomers, Healthcare and Interactive Media” study conducted last month. They believe that less than one-quarter of US Internet users ages 40 and over use social networking Web sites.

The JWT BOOM/Third Age figures on social networking usage by those 40 and older generally agree with a study by ExactTarget conducted last month.

Instead of using one large category of older Internet users, ExactTarget divided users who were ages 35 and older into 10-year increments, with 65 and over being the oldest cohort. Although 39% of 35 to 44 year-olds used social networks, use fell sharply with age: Only 13% of 55 to 64 year-olds were social networkers, and only 4% of those ages 65 and older. In comparison, three-quarters of Internet users ages 15 to 24 use social networking sites.

Why don’t consumers 40 and older use MySpace and similar sites in greater numbers? Respondents said their main concerns were privacy, time and just not seeing the point. Although each of these barriers can be addressed, marketers might also consider that social networks are just not yet the best way to reach boomers.

It is always interesting to hear the objectives as to why people will not use something. As people age, I can understand why they would not find a site like MySpace or Facebook useful because it is aimed at a younger demographic. The opportunity I believe for marketers is through smaller niche social sites like cater directly to the boomers generation. For example the AARP has added a social networking section to its web site. This type of site would alleviate the boomers concerns with privacy and lack of information.

From a marketing perspective, advertisers who are looking to reach baby boomers would be better suited finding smaller niche sites like AARP rather than MySpace or Facebook.