Social Networking & Baby Boomers

It has come to my attention that many over fifties are making their presence felt in the online world of social networking. My mother is on Facebook. As is my Mother in law. I have refused to accept their 'friend requests'. I am unmoved by their pleas to accept them. It's bad enough they are on there in the first place.

I recently had to alert my mother in law that listing that she was 'interested in women' on her social networking site, meant people thought she was a lesbian. One would think that would be perfectly obvious. But not to her. She thought it meant interested in making friends with women. Nothing wrong with being a lesbian. It's just that she isn't one.

The Baby Boomers ruled the analogue age. They are the most prosperous and successful genereation ever, and it seems they are so used to everything going their way, and being catered to them, that it hasn't even occurred to them that Facebook is essentially not for them.

People my parents age on Facebook is a bit like my parents turning up uninvited to a party thrown for my peers. Not cool. In such a scenario, I imagine that most people would leave and find somewhere else to continue partying/socialising and generally having a good time.

And, funnily enough the same thing is happening online. Facebook has become the giant of the online social networking sites over the past few years. It was originally created for university students, but has rapidly evolved to become a multigenerational phenomenon. But more recently, younger people are leaving Facebook, while the fastest growing user group by age are the over 55's.

According to The Age, ChatRoulette is taking advantage of the mass exodus of young people from Facebook, and could be the 'next big thing' in social networking. But that's the nature of the online world isn't it? Transient, evolving, pushing boundaries. Seems like the Baby Boomers have jumped onto the Facebook revolution a little too late.