Age nothing but a number (mostly) online
A study just out from the Pew Internet & American Life Project indicates that whatever your grumpy grandparent or eye-rolling teen claims, the Internet is for everybody, young and old.
In fact, some functions -- and not just the ones you'd expect -- aren't remotely the province of only the Young And Free-Time Blessed. The survey found that Generation Y (born 1977-1990) and teens are the biggest users of blogging, social networking, and instant messaging. And older users seek information and use email more frequently. But Gen Y and the GI Generation (born before 1937) seek out health information at almost exactly the same rate online -- 68% versus 67%. 31% of both the 12-17 crowd and Gen X (born 1965-1976) download videos. And there's barely five percentage points of difference between the crowd least likely to make travel reservations online (the GI Generation and Gen Y, tied at 65%) and the generation most likely (Gen X, 70%).
Who's online? Gen Y represents 26% of the total US population, but 30% of the online world. Gen X (20% / 23%) and the younger Boomers (20% / 22%) are also punching above their weight. Older boomers make up 13% of both the general and online populations, and the Silent Generation (born 1937-1945; 9% of the general population, 7% of the online set) and the GI Generation (9% / 4%) make up the rest.
The survey, which incorporated data on the 12-17 set compiled by separate but recent Pew studies directed toward that age group, did provide some entertaining glimpses at how life changes for the young set when, as new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz so amusingly put it during her earnings call this week, they're off the parental dole. The percentage of teen respondents who play online games is a whopping 78%; for Gen Y, it's 50%, and for overworked Gen X it slides to 38%. Meanwhile, email use -- the uncoolest thing anyone ever has done in the history of the entire world, if you ask a kid -- rockets from 73% in the teen cohort to 94% after, staying comfortably in the 90%-plus usage range until users are in their 70s.