Social Media as a Ubiquitous Force? Not Quite

I came across a Mashable article the other day that stopped me in my tracks. Shockingly, only 50 percent of adults in the U.S. use social media, according to a new survey by Pew Internet. Being entrenched for so long in a field where social media is ubiquitous (in fact, it’s a primary job requirement), I had a hard time believing that this could really be true. That is, until I got a call from my parents the other night.

I live states away from my family, and while it’s always great to catch up with them, when it comes to discussing my job, or any form of Web activity – social or otherwise – I know I can count on some laughs (after I hang up, of course). Just for fun, here’s a quick 60-second “take” from our recent chat:

Dad: Hey there, Jill! I was just thinking about you – wanted to see if you and your hubby have set up your family email account yet? I wanted to send you guys this great email I got the other day.

Jill: [Read: another chain email. Groan.] Hi, Dad. No, we’ll probably just keep our own – feel free to send it to Patrick, though. [haha]

Dad: Hmmm…well, it would be easier if you got a family email so we could keep in touch with both of you. But anyway, your Mother wants to talk to you, hold on, let me give her the phone. Oh, and your brother should be home soon – he finds out about football tryouts today.

Jill: Great – I saw on Facebook that he made varsity this year! And Jana has been tweeting about it all day.

Dad: What?! Wait – he did?! How do you know?

Mom: And WHAT has Jana been doing all day?

Jill: I saw it this morning. Anyway, don’t you think it would be easier to use Skype so I can see all of you guys?

Mom: That sounds technical – but speaking of, did your Dad tell you? We just switched to high-speed Internet a few days ago. The kids staged a coup, something about needing to get to the Google in under two hours, I’m not really sure. What ever happened to microfiche? That’s what I want to know.

You get the point.

But while my parents may have a long way to go before jumping on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social media channel, many others are coming in droves to embrace social media use. A similar study conducted by Pew in 2008 showed that just 29 percent of all Internet users used social media; however, social media adoption has more than doubled in three years, reaching 65 percent in 2011. Surprisingly, the growth of social networking is driven by seniors, with social media usage increasing by 150 percent in just two years in the 65+ age demographic.

Email is still the most popular online activity, with 61 percent of respondents indicating that they use it every day. Search engines come in at 59 percent as the second most popular daily Internet activity. Today, about 43 percent of Internet users interact on social channels regularly – and that number continues to rise steadily.

When I do make the long trek home and see my (seven) younger siblings – heads facing downward with smartphones and iPod Touches permanently fused to their fingertips – I realize that it’s only a matter of time before the social media usage gap between these generations closes for good.

A quote by author William Gibson may say it best:

“One of the things our grandchildren will find quaintest about us is that we distinguish the digital from the real…In the future, that will become literally impossible.”