Are you part of the ‘Grantech’ revolution?
Forget age old stereotypes, the numbers are showing those of us with a few years of experience under our belts are embracing new technology like never before. In fact, there is such a strong movement that it has been given a name …. ‘Grantech’.
That age old generation gap is quickly closing as grandparents Australia wide are keeping up with their kids and grandkids when it comes to new technology.
Mobiles and tablet use
A reported 96% of Australians aged 50+ own a mobile phone and a whopping 90% of those aged 70+ also own a mobile. Benefits comes in many forms with 78% saying it makes them feel safer having a mobile at hand and 72% say it makes them feel more connected to their families.
In Australia, smartphone users in this age group have increased by 28% over the past 12 months and are clocked as the fastest growing sector. There has also been a 46% increase over the past year for those aged 65+ regarding tablet use.
New research from nbn also reveals the ‘Grantech’ generation are fast on the heels of their grandkids. In fact, older Australian’s are officially some of the fastest growing tech users in the country.
Forget the stereotype. We are the ones who are quickly embracing fast broadband and smart devices. The study also shows grandparents are increasingly embracing the internet and video apps to keep in touch with family and friends.
Tech savvy grandparents
It isn’t surprising that internet use is high with 76% of Aussie grandparents saying they use the internet to connect with their children, 72% staying in touch with other family members and 59% staying connected with grandchildren online.
A massive 90% use email to stay in touch with their children, more than half are on Facebook and 35% of tech savvy grandparents use video calling apps such as FaceTime or Skype to keep in-touch with grandkids.
This technology burst has proved to be useful with helping lots of us feel more connected and helping us stay in touch with loved ones.
A whopping 84% of grandparents stay in touch with family and friends via the internet weekly.
16.4 million Australian’s online every month
Mike Farley CEO of WYZA agrees there are a huge amount of tech savvy Australian’s over 50’s with over 100,000 subscribers on www.WYZA and monthly visitors of over 250,000. "The most active visitors are aged 50 to 71 with 24% of them aged 65+.
Females represent 56.5% of the audience and 43.5% are male. Our readers are very engaged in everything from travel, finance, insurance, healthcare, entertainment, leisure, retirement properties and special issues for baby boomers. Every month a staggering 16.4 million Australians are online according to Nielsen online ratings and the boomers (50+) make up the largest online demographic 37.4%,” adds Farley.
How do you use technology to stay in touch with loved ones? Join our conversation below…
Republished with permission of Wyza.com.au.