Social Media Use Has Tripled Among Users 65 And Older [Pew Research]

Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks are experiencing a surge in users aged 65 years and older.

According to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet American Life Project , older users are increasingly logging onto the internet and into social networking platforms.

The study found that in the Spring of 2009 only 13 percent of seniors were using social media while that number has grown to 43 percent in 2013.

Pew Researchers also discovered that six out of ten internet users between the ages of 50 and 64 are now using social networks.

While Facebook is experiencing an explosion of older users Twitter is still entertaining a younger crowd. The study found that 30 percent of Twitter’s users are between 18 and 29 years old. Pew states that since 2010 Twitter has doubled its share of the internet population to 18 percent.

Pew’s research also discovered that 89 percent of adults between 18 and 29 now use social media while 78 percent of adults from 30 and 49 also use social networking. Combined a whopping 72 percent of online adults are now connected to some type of social networking website.

In 2005 only 8 percent of the internet population used social networking.

Here is Pew Research’s full chart representing social network use by age: