skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Facebook, Social Networking Growing on The 50-Plus Crowd

play audio
Play

Monday, October 24, 2011   

CONCORD, N.H. - Older Americans are trying to get connected, although they're not always sure how to do it or why they should. A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that social media are now a part of life for more than half of Internet users ages 50 to 65, and a third of those over 65. Many seniors say they learned it from a child or grandchild.

Marsha Collier, the author of "Facebook and Twitter for Seniors, for Dummies," says it's best to wade into social networking slowly. Pick one pursuit, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, or even emailing or texting on a mobile phone, and learn that first. And she says younger people can easily help parents or grandparents create blogs.

"All they have to do is go there and click 'post.' They can post about their garden; they can post about their children. And you'll be surprised: even if there's no response to the blog, it will give them a comfort factor of going onto the computer and typing a journal."

She says even people who are hesitant to get involved with social networks will be more interested when they see all the friends and family members they can connect with.

"Sometimes the easiest thing is helping someone go to Facebook and seeing who of their friends are on Facebook, or people they've gone to work with in the past. Because Facebook makes it very accessible; if people have put in where they worked in the past, you can just look up the company and they may see somebody they know."

According to Collier, seniors may also become more interested in social networking when they realize they can make money selling things on eBay.

"I know for sure that lots of people who are listening have a lot of extra stuff laying around their house. Learn to sell it on eBay! There's books for seniors on eBay. It's all out there, it's a whole new world, and I just don't want anybody to close the door to it."

Collier says social networking, and Internet savvy in general, will help older people feel more connected instead of isolated, and that it's a good way to bring generations together when kids or grand-kids can help teach these skills.

That Pew report is at bit.ly/pRh99f




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021