According to a recent report by PEW Research Center, older adults-those 50 or over-is the fastest growing segment to embrace social media. From April 2009 to May 2010, social network usage amongst internet users aged 50 to 65 increased by 88% (from 25% to 47%). Within the same time frame, social network usage increased by 100% (from 13% to 26%) for those 65 and up. To contrast, usage growth amongst the younger demographic has begun to slow down. Those 18 to 29 only increased by 13% (from 76% to 86%).

The key point here is “growth”. Older internet users who use social media are still the minority, whereas young adults still dominate in terms of social media usage in general. However, as a marketer, you need to understand that social media is no longer a “phenomenon” that is isolated to one particular segment of users. Older internet users are beginning to catch on with the new tools that are available, and you need to start thinking about how to engage them in the future.  This will most likely be the trend for the coming years as social media usage has almost reached market saturation for the younger demographic.