Amid stuffing my face at my family’s annual Thanksgiving feast, I noticed my older cousin taking a picture of the table setting with her iPhone.  Moments later, I received a confirmation from Facebook that I, along with some other relatives at the table, had been tagged in the photo taken by my cousin moments earlier.  Given that I have come of age with Facebook and other social media platforms (I’m in the latter half of my 20’s – shhhhhh!) such acts have become common occurrence.  What was surprising was the fact that my cousin is part of the baby boomer generation and was just as social media savvy as a pre-teen or tween. 

As a digested my food, I began to realize that there is no longer a generational gap when it comes to social media.  According to Nielsen’s recent State of the Media: The Social Media Report, nearly “4 in 5 active internet users” are visiting social networking sites.  Furthermore, those internet users over the age of 55 are significantly aiding the growth of “social networking” through mobile devices (twice as many as last year).  

Some other interesting insights regarding the demographic breakout of social media include:

• Americans spend more time on Facebook than any other U.S. website
• Females and 18-34 year olds are the most active social networks users
• Nearly 2 in 5 social media users access services through mobile devices
• More women watch videos on social networks, but men watch longer
• Active social media users are influential offline

The pace of social media’s growth within the online space is certainly not a surprise to anyone.  What does fascinate me though is the maturity of social media’s users.  What the Nielsen report shows is that though sites such as Facebook may have been intended for a younger audience, it’s quickly being adopted by an older demographic. 

We’re clearly living in global “social” village, so move over 25-34 year olds – an older, wiser and more influential demographic is joining the space.