Jamie Carracher
I am a digital communications counselor on the Digital Public Affairs team in Edelman’s Washington office. A former journalist, I have worked for publications and public relations firms in New York, Detroit and Cleveland. Any opinions are my own. Contact me via:
The idea for Aging Online came to me a few days ago as I read over research recently published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which found that health information was the third most important important online activity for all Internet users, no matter their age -- following search and e-mail.
As a digital communicator, I am very aware of the many insightful and influential online communities and commentators who regularly write about digital health issues ranging from e-patient advocacy to pharmaceutical marketing. These issues are incredibly important. They are also incredibly crowded and many of the issues highly visible. As a former journalist, I couldn't help but chase my curiosity out of the spotlight to an issue that I think might become just important and exciting: examining how older generations, from boomers to their aging parents, are adapting to our online, digitally connected world.
When I dug further into the Pew study, I learned the fascinating fact that users age 74 and older are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook. Their numbers are still small -- only 16% of people age 74 and older use social networking sites. But as more social media savvy Boomers grow older, this number will grow and the presence of older adults will surely have a major impact on how Internet users consume and create social media.
Which led me to wonder: How will our online world change when seniors get engaged?
The thing is, I don't know the answer. So, I'm reading all the research I can about this issue to get the big picture. I also plan to get involved with older adults face-to-face. I want to find out how they are embracing these technologies and how others, like companies, governments and other service providers, are working to embrace this inevitable future. I created Aging Online to share what I learn along the way.
