Abstract: Online social networking has the potential to enrich the lives of the elderly by providing them with an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family. Seniors are the fastest growing demographic in online social networks. Marketers and advertisers are anxious to capture the attention and buying power of this demographic through this new channel. Yet very little is known about what influences seniors to use online social networks. This study uses results from a brief pilot study as well as theory and literature to build a conceptual model to examine what key factors influence seniors to use online social networks. The model that emerged describes ten key factors that influence use. Specifically the model indicates that perceptions of privacy, security along with Web experience and proclivity to give and get information are some of the key factors that influence elders to use online social networks. Finally using insights gained from the pilot and previous work in this area, a questionnaire to empirically validate the conceptual model is also presented.

Keywords: Online Social Networking, Seniors, Social Networking Use, Web 2.0

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Recommended Citation: Lewis, S., Ariyachandra, T. (2011). Seniors and Social Networking. Journal of Information Systems Applied Research, 4(2) pp 4-18. http://jisar.org/2011-4/ ISSN: 1946-1836. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of CONISAR 2010)