I heard more than once argument that older people do not use smart phones and consequently there is not very many patients will use them. My father is 83 years old young and has no issues with technology but maybe he is exception of the rule. I decided to ask Google how much older people are using technology and those are a few results:
1 – From marketing charts I learned that older Americans are not being left behind in the age of technology, and are adopting dominant technologies like smartphones, computers and tablets at a steady rate. In fact, three-quarters reported owning a smartphone in 2018, which is up some 5% points from the year before. That’s according to an AARP survey [PDF] of more than 1,500 US adults ages 50 years and older.
Computer ownership for this group is now very high, with nearly total penetration (91%). Laptop ownership has gone up slightly to 65% from the previous year (62%), but desktop ownership remains stagnant at 61%.
Interestingly, tablet ownership within the 50+ age group has also remained stagnant, at 42% (versus 43% in 2017). Previous research has found that Americans ages 65+ have a ways to go before reaching average adoption levels for these devices.
People within the 50+ age group are using their devices first and foremost to stay connected. Some 9 in 10 of those surveyed are using them to send emails, text messages and/or IM. Another 86% are using tech to surf the web.
Shopping is another popular use of tech with 50+ users, with four-fifths (81%) making purchases online. Great comfort with making purchases online could prove a boon for online retailers, given older adults’ above-average incomes and disposable spending.
2 – AARP, a leading organisation for senior citizens in the United States, publishes a guide to curing smartphone addiction. If there is smartphone addiction, usage must be high.
3 – Study discovered that seniors (and middle-aged people) spent more time overall on every type of device. Even middle-agers are guilty. The study found that 35 to 49-year olds used social media 40 minutes more weekly compared with 18 to 34-year olds (aka millennials).
Social media statistics show similar trends. Currently, social media giant Facebook is actually losing its younger users, but the over-55’s are arriving in droves. In 2018, 500,000 new users over the age of 55 were expected to join Facebook. If this does occur, by year’s end the 55-65+ demographic will become the second largest demographic on the platform, reaching approximately 6.4 million users strong.
After 15 minutes of research it is obvious to me that age does not play significant role in technology adoption. What do you think?