Unpopular Opinion: Our older patrons do, in fact, use the internet

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me, “Our people are older so they don’t use the internet/email/social media”…

I go to a lot of conferences every year and I hear it multiple times a day. So, let me set the record straight.

OLDER PEOPLE USE THE INTERNET.
OLDER PEOPLE USE EMAIL.
OLDER PEOPLE USE SOCIAL MEDIA.

There is so much data that demonstrates this and it really does kill a little bit of my soul that so many nonprofit administrators still think the contrary.

Here is some recent data from the Pew Research Center:

Those 60 and older — a group increasingly populated by aging Baby Boomers — now spend more than half of their daily leisure time…Screen time has increased for those in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, and the rise is apparent across genders and education levels.

This rise in screen time coincides with significant growth in the adoption of digital technology by older Americans. In 2000, 14% of those ages 65 and older were internet users; now 73% are. And while smartphone ownership was uncommon at all ages around the turn of the 21st century, now about half (53%) of people 65 and older are smartphone owners.