During a recent podcast interview, the host asked me to provide some perspectives on social media and people over 60.

We discussed that many people in this age group find social media too complicated. Even when they’ve been shown the steps of how to do things on social media, they might have trouble remembering the steps. Or maybe they find the whole experience of being on social media pointless.

I offered a number of suggestions for ways that people 60 and over can be safer on social media. We discussed the benefits of using these sites for someone in their 60s or older. In addition, we talked about some of the main differences among such sites as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

Suggestions for People Over 60 Who Use Social Media Sites

  • Consider having a family member or friend who is social media savvy help you to adjust the settings of your account.
  • Review the privacy and safety features of each site. All social media sites have ways for the user to limit the amount of information they share and who sees it.
  • Add two-factor authentication to help prevent others from getting into your account.
  • Set your Instagram account to private, so you have to approve each person who wants to follow you.
  • Have someone help you create a list of the steps for updating a Facebook or LinkedIn profile.
  • Avoid creating accounts on sites that you would rarely use.
  • Use different passwords for each of your social media accounts. These passwords should also be different from other passwords you use.

 

Ways to Benefit from Using Social Media

  • Find out from friends and family what benefits they gain from the social media sites they use.
  • If you are active in an organization, you can promote it through social media. You can also use it to stay in touch with members in your organization.
  • If you or a relative or friend have a small business, you can use social media to promote it.
  • Through social media you can meet other people with similar interests.

 

Basic Differences Among LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram

  • LinkedIn is more business-focused than the other two sites, and is designed for professional networking. It has more business-related themes and topics in the posts people share.
  • The functionality of LinkedIn is relatively similar to Facebook in terms of connecting with others.
  • Also, the process of sharing a post and engaging with the posts of others is similar between the two sites.
  • Instagram is visually oriented, and also makes heavy use of search terms called hashtags.
  • Facebook has the widest range of demographics among the three sites – such as age, race, gender. It provides many types of information, from news to inspiration to how-to tips.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel, Boomers' Social Media TutorJoyce Feustel helps people, especially those ages 55 and older, to become more comfortable using social media, particularly Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, leaders of nonprofit organizations, job seekers, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.