The definition in Wikipedia for Social Media is - so·cial
me·di·a noun: websites and applications that enable users to create and share
content or to participate in social networking.
I have been on Facebook (FB) and Twitter for quite some
time, and as I have confessed in many prior blogs, I am an electronics
nerd. I was on Facebook’s predecessors,
America Online (AOL), and My Space. With
my most recent experiences on FB I decided WOW, these retirees are to be
commended! Why is that you say, well I find they have actually reinvented or
tailored FB to their needs. I was so
impressed that I decided this had to be a blog topic. So off I went to see what the experts had to
say about social media and retirees.
Phew, there are a lot of statistics on the fact that the
elderly, that would be us, are using FB to stay connected. A study by the Pew
Internet Research Project tracked technology use among older adults. They stated
that while they (that would be us) lag behind the national average, about 59
percent of respondents reported using the Internet, a 6 percent jump from 2012,
and 26 percent more than in 2008. Among
those, 71 percent said they went online daily. That sounds pretty darn good to me,
better than I had expected! They also stated
there are 44 different social media tools today, phew, who knew. The experts stated the top social media are: Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, VK, Vine, Flickr, Meetup,
Tagged, Meetme, and Classmates. I
confess I know about most of these but they lost me on VK, Meetme, and Tagged. I’m guessing these are geared to hooking up
with someone. <Grin> But the statistics show the elderly are not too keen
on Twitter. I happen to find it
entertaining, as people are definitely snarkier on it. But I suppose as a senior
we don’t see the relevance of tweeting every second of your day, where you went, what food you
are eating…. Ad nauseam.
While doing my research I also read an article in the Wall
Street Journal about an “e-event,” which it seems is expressing anger via email,
text, chat, Twitter or FB. The
studies show it makes the person feel better, but the same research shows it
actually makes them become angrier and more aggressive. It seems the worst posts and angriest are
those that do so anonymously. It would
appear a bad vent can come back to hurt you, causing you to alienate friends or
family, or maybe just getting stereotyped as a whiner or someone with
anger-management issues (what a surprise).
We all know that what happens on the Internet stays on the
Internet—forever—which may do or cause lasting damage to your reputation. Why
this would be a surprise to anyone is beyond me, once things are in cyberspace
they develop their own life and one never knows what is going to go viral.
BFF Hubby and I are just turning the corner on year two living
in a retirement community. I still
consider myself to be a newbie here, I suppose that is due to people who have
been here 20+ years. That said, one of
the first things I searched for was a community Facebook page. Much to my surprise there is a very savvy
lady here who has set up not one but three Facebook pages in her attempt to
meet the needs of the community, at least that’s what I think the intent was,
or who knows, maybe it’s necessary to keep them all in line. <Grin> My
favorite is her new one, the Baby Boomers site; it’s very fun! We are split
into districts here and they also have FB pages to share district events, and
news.
OK, OK, I have to tell you the thing that I find to be the
most fun on all these sites, as well as the most amusing; believe it or not there
are rules for each Facebook page. Seriously there are rules, who knew, and it
is a requirement that you know these rules.
All this time I thought that FB was infamous for posting whatever is on
your mind. (GRIN) But having been on these
FB pages for a while I can see why they need these rules! Phew, these people can be snarky and downright
pretentious. And then there are the self-appointed rule police, who don’t
hesitate to jump all over people if they think they aren’t playing by the rules,
or the rules as they interpret them, no kidding. But like I always say, you have the right to speak
your mind even if your voice shakes. <Grin>
Here was one of my favorite comments on a recent crazy, kind
of mean post that just went all over the place and went on and on and on; “Has
anyone noticed how one Sun Laker can post something, then it turns into three
other topics with ENDLESS comments by everyone -- many several times over? At
what point can a thread just die and go away?” This is a very true
observation. As I said everyone has some
comment whether or not it is relevant to the topic at hand. Sometimes they are just
stating their opinion and I love it most when they disagree, it’s as if only they
and their opinions are relevant, no freedom of speech here. (Grin)
I had the best time with a recent FB posting; a person
posted a picture of a bobcat to warn people to keep an eye on their smaller
pets. Good idea I thought, but what
ensued was absolutely hysterical; there were postings from it wasn’t a bobcat,
but a cougar, then it was a mountain lion; this from all the sightings people
had. All great harmless entertainment, and in the end isn’t it really a great
thing that some of the older long-term residents are at least embracing this
media. Ha Ha, that’s the fun stuff. It seems for the retirees that FB is an outlet
to ask questions, share information and sometimes to quickly dispel rumors. This is where I have to throw in the quip
about respecting the elderly, I mean you have to cut us some slack, as after all
we grew up without Google or Wikipedia. <Grin>
And so I say have at it, post away, and it matters not if
they tick off others, feel the need to keep everyone else in line or just post
something they found funny or interesting, it just may be that one thing in
their day which provided a purpose in their life. On that note I just have to tell you a joke that
the FB postings bring to mind: Some people talk so much crap I don’t know
whether to offer them toilet paper or a breath mint. <Grin>
On a more serious note, I was really awed to see that FB really
has a positive effect on retirees, and in this bloggers opinion, has had a
profound impact on the ever changing world of retirement. Many of the experts say that FB is often
addictive for people, but I say hey, that’s not a problem if you’re retired <Grin>.
It offers retirees an experience that just wasn’t there for them before. It
provides an opportunity for those, who are not able to run down the street and
quickly visit with their families, a way to keep in touch. It is the family glue, a way to keep track of
our children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, and old acquaintances, such as
old school mates, and past co-workers. It also provides a social interaction
for those who are homebound. As I have personally
observed in the community where I live, social media helps create and expand the
community for those with shared interests, and can play an important role in
the lives of the retirees who want to stay engaged. FB helps them to keep abreast of relevant events
going on in their community, a place where they can post things that may be of
interest to others in the local area, and where they ask questions if they are
new to the community. FB is a great
source of local knowledge and history of the community.
My take away - Facebook has filled a void in the life of the retiree,
allowing us to reach out and expand our neighborhoods within our community, and
introducing us to people we may never have had the opportunity to meet
otherwise. It allows us to express and
discuss our fears, anger, and desires or just share something that we enjoyed
or that made us smile. I think it helps
us as we go through the most important phase of maturing, our continued growth
in taking us from self-centering allowing and helping us to gain a better understanding in
our relationships with others. Facebook
is an outlet for retirees, a method to show others that age doesn’t need to have
its face lifted, that it can still teach the world to admire wrinkles as the
etchings of experience and the firm line of character…. And as Confucius says: Old
age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently
shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall
as spectator. And so I say- Post on.
I thank you again for
taking this retirement journey with me, or as I refer to it, “my longest coffee break." I'm just sayin’…
