Grannies and grandpas have become experts in posting status updates, poking their friends and changing their profile picture on Facebook, just like their grand kids, who introduced them to the world of social networking in the first place.
A new study has found that over a quarter (27%) of Americans over the age of 50 use social networks, and 23% prefer Facebook over other sites like MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.
When the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) surveyed 1,360 adults over the phone, it found that some 49% of respondents ages 50 to 64 and 40% of all adults age 50 and older are very comfortable with the Internet as a communication tool and content medium.
But it was the younger generation that tipped the oldsters about Facebook, reports the New York Daily News.
Almost 47% of respondents learned about social networking from a nonspousal family member, and 70% learned of it from a child or grandchild.
The boomers use Facebook as a way to keep in touch with family, with some 62% of the respondents reporting that they’re connected to their kids on Facebook and 36% saying they are connected to their grandchildren.
In fact, oldsters are no strangers to iPads either—over four-fifths of them know about the device, and 11 to 14% said they are going to buy one.
