Generations online 2009

Generation Y, or young adults generally 18-32 years old who grew up in the Information Age, have been dubbed the ‘Net Generation.’ But, while these “digital natives” may be savvier with their gadgets and more keen on new uses of technology, their elders in Generation X, the Baby Boomers and older generations tend to dominate internet use in other areas.

The biggest increase in internet use since 2005 can be seen in the 70-75 year-old age group. While just over one-fourth (26%) of 70-75 year olds were online in 2005, 45% of that age group is currently online. Much as we watch demographic and age groups move up in “degrees of access” on our “thermometers,”¹ we can probably expect to see these bars become more level as time goes on. For now, though, young people dominate the online population.006-2008.

instant messaging, social networking, and blogging have gained ground as communications tools, but email remains the most popular online activity, particularly among older internet users. Fully 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making email the most popular online activity for this age group. At the same time, email has lost some ground among teens; whereas 89% of teens claimed to use email in 2004, just 73% currently say they use email.

Information obtained by pewinternet.org