Social Networks

Our elders are adopting social networks, and it’s all good!

No, social networks are not reserved to generation Z anymore. Since the first confinement, the elders land on the various platforms, appropriate the codes, and it is a real wind of freshness that lands on our feeds. Passion Media explains this phenomenon.

05 Aug 2021 - 2 min read

Hey you ! 

The elders are starting to make a place for themselves on the web, and it’s genius! They adopt the codes, adapt them to their sauce, and become really iconic for some. Passion Media presents you this phenomneon through some key information and especially a small overview of its favorite influencers. 

The elders arrive on social networks! 

There is a trend that the pandemic has brought out and that we did not see coming: the arrival of our seniors on social networks! Cut off by the force of things from their families, their loved ones, they have swapped their habits to come and immerse themselves in the world of social networks. And it’s a wonder! No more mistakes, no more failed hashtags, no more embarrassing comments… The elders are gradually adopting the codes. The Sortlist company has quantified the phenomenon. The result is clear: the boomers have been very numerous to join social networks. The number of 60+ year olds present on social networks has increased by more than 25% over the last year.  

What all generations have in common: creating links

Each generation has a different way of understanding social networks. The younger generations are looking for entertainment, while the older ones want to interact and create links. It’s a way for them to keep in touch, create a link, maintain a social life. Not surprisingly, beyond usage, the time spent on social networks has also increased significantly. With this phenomenon, brands have also started to invest in this vertical, by creating content, and multiplying ads to reach this target. 

Different uses, similar codes

The under 35s have a preference for YouTube (89%), WhatsApp (83%) and Instagram (82%). For older people, it is rather the Facebook platform that is preferred. 77% of the over 60s say they are active on Facebook. They then cite WhatsApp (71%) and YouTube (67%). When it comes to time spent on social networks, the numbers are also quite striking. 28% of millennials and generation Z spend between 2 and 3 hours a day on social networks. On the side of our elders, 36% of respondents estimate spending 1 to 2 hours per day. That’s quite a lot! And in the lot, some older people are emerging and becoming real influencers with very large communities. 

Some of the boomer generation influencers who are doing well

Danielle, aka “lestudiodanielle”, is one of the most followed influencers over 60 in France. She has over 1.2 million followers and describes herself as “your grandmother’s favorite grandmother”. She creates varied, funny, addictive content. In short, we love her. We could also mention Nicole Tonnelle (with more than 15,000 subscribers), or the super grandma of the chef Jean Imbert who regularly appeared on his account. In short, it’s good to see the generations mixing and we hope one thing… That with the arrival of our elders, we will be able to discover the famous recipes and tips of grandmother that we love so much!