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11.1.2011 Silver surfers get social in UK

Forty percent of frequent internet users over the age of 55 manage a social network, UM's Wave 5 research has found. Wave 5 is the latest in a series of breakthrough social media studies from communications agency UM, which this year questioned nearly 40,000 people from 54 countries about their social media habits.

As part of the study, UM London specifically monitored the over 55 age group in the UK, and discovered that this generation is in fact fully embracing the social media phenomenon. In some areas, they are even more "with it" than their children. Wave showed that an astonishing 40% of frequent internet users over the age of 55 manage a social network.

While we cannot be sure of the reason for this, we can certainly speculate, given the fact that their most popular activity was shown to be finding old friends and posting photos. It seems that this older generation are using social media to feel more ‘connected’ in a world in which families and friends are more disparate. As people near retirement and their children increasingly live across the country or even the planet, social media offers the perfect cure to loneliness and social isolation. In many ways, it has become a rejuvenating hobby for this older generation by making them feel connected to the world and keeping them busy.

B.L. 11.1.2011