Social networking on-line has been keenly embraced by British Internet users with a around 6 million people signed up to Facebook and around the same number for My Space. Ask many older Internet users and a significant proportion will tell you that these sites either don’t feel inclusive or are difficult to navigate.
Money
Money goes where advertising goes and the advertisers have traditionally targeted the young after all it’s usually the young that have traditionally had the disposable income and are easily parted with it (those that aren’t encumbered by huge loans for university education that is).
The Growing Majority
But the young are part of a growing minority as the demographic of Britain changes and older people make up the majority. In only 5 or 6 years the average age in our population will be the early 40′s and this trend, despite immigration is set to continue due to falling birth rates.
So now Saga have launched a social networking site for the over 50′s called Saga Zone. In an ironic twist on social exclusion you can’t join if you’re under 50 and so the mature generation gets its own on-line social gated community that possibly reflects their values and their concerns (unless of course you’re one of the growing number of eternal teenagers who identify more with a younger culture despite your chronological age. It’s all different strokes for different folks).
The BBC have a video report related to this here (ability to play Real Video required)
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