AARP Eye Center
Are older folks taking over Facebook?
By Alejandra Owens, July 15, 2009 01:27 PM
Remember the new social networking section on AARP we blogged about last week? Well, it looks like it may come in handy after we find a new study showing that not only are the numbers of 50+ Facebook users skyrocketing, but their younger counterparts are actually decreasing:
A report released by iStrategyLabs shows that while the number of Facebook's U.S. high school and college-age users declined over the past six months, its popularity among the 55-and-older crowd is booming. In fact, the number of 55-and-older Facebook users showed staggering growth -- 513.7% -- in the last six months, the digital consulting firm said. This isn't a new phenomenon for Facebook. In March, Hitwise Pty. reported that the social network's audience of people over the ripe old age of 35 increased by 23% in February compared with the same month a year earlier. While Facebook was first launched to serve college students, over the past year or so the network has expanded to include many middle-aged folks. (Emphasis mine)
While there are rumors that the decrease in college-aged users is because they are beginning to feel alienated by their parents joining the site, I don't know if that's the entire reason. There are so many new social networking sites being introduced every day, young people end up migrating to the newer and better forums. But be careful kids, looks like mom and pops are right on your tail!