Baby boomers on Internet

It turns out, old people are quite active online, though when it comes to really old people, not so much.

According to a new report from eMarketer, the 50-plus, boomer heavy market has embraced the Internet nearly as much as younger adults, while the senior market, while showing growth, has adopted the medium in smaller numbers.

Roughly 66 percent of adults ages 50-64 are online in 2005, says the report, while just 28 percent of adults 65 plus are online. By 2008, those numbers are expected to hit 74 percent for the 50-64 demographic, and 34 percent for true seniors.

The 50-64 market, which includes a significant number of baby boomers, is three times more likely to go online and 50 percent more likely to use broadband than the 65 and older crowd. In fact, the segment of the online population is outpacing the growth of the overall Internet universe — exhibiting increases of 7-8 percent per year versus growth of just 2-3 percent for the total Internet user base.

Yet there is a marked disparity in usage patterns between older adults and seniors. eMarketer says that today’s seniors may have missed the boat in terms of the Internet being integral to their professional lives, a condition that hinders their overall usage. That won’t be the case with today’s aging boomers when they start becoming eligible for discounts at the movies.

« The current generation of adults over 65 hasn’t fully adopted Internet use, in large part because many had retired before online access became common in the workplace, » said eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson, who authored the report. « The next generation of seniors will be very different. »

And marketing to those seniors online will become a far more viable option as boomers age, says Williamson’s report , as they are unlikely to give up their reliance on the Web in their lives. As Madison Avenue continues to better recognize the vast buying power of the 50-plus generation, that trend should continue as the demographics ages. By 2010, older adults and seniors will account for 32 percent of the total U.S. population.


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