My 20-something colleagues here seem to be pretty shocked to discover that adult use of social networking sites like Facebook is exploding all around them. I find that as a 30-something back in school, being surrounded by 20-somethings can be equally disturbing at times.
The explosion of 30+ users on sites like Facebook is hardly surprising. Especially after you consider the large number of adults who are returning to universities and colleges in droves, as the failing economy forces them to reconsider careers, retrain for job security, or just find a new direction for their lives.
They say that 30 is the new 20
Traditional college students everywhere are coming to the realization that potential employers could be viewing their party habits. They're bitching about the creep-factor of adults on turf they unrealistically considered to be theirs alone. Meanwhile, non-traditional students like myself are shaking our heads and saying, "duh!"
It's the Web people. What could possibly make you think it was your turf,? After all, we 30-somethings invented it. What ever gave you the impression that Facebook wouldn't want us? We've got more disposable income than you do. If you want to point fingers, point them at Facebook, not us. We just know a good thing when we see it, and we've got social lives too.
Besides,
with 30 being the new 20, we've been granted something pretty
amazing... the social acceptance to act like 20-somethings, clinging
to the "greatest years of our life" for as long as we can. Are you really going to hold that against us?
In fact, it seems I could easily be the poster boy for the 30-going-on-20 phenomenon. I dress like a 20-something. I travel like a 20-something. I drive like a 20-something. (Okay, that's never really likely to change.) Heck, I'm even dating a 20-something. But apparently, none of that really counts. The real benchmark? I use Facebook. Damn.
How Facebook hooked me
Last summer I took a trip to Ireland. It was an adventure I had been dreaming about for many years. Between semesters, the pieces fell into place, and it all came true. But when I got home, I quickly realized that e-mails to all the friends I had made were never going to keep me in touch with them for long. Moreover, nobody uses MySpace over there, and I was already getting sick of the awful templates, obnoxious apps and leetspeak that comes with its predominately teen userbase. So I made the leap to Facebook, which most of my foreign friends were already on.
Better options?
Sadly, while the obnoxious apps have since infiltrated Facebook, it's still the best option out there to stay connected with friends. I'm sure a 30-something social network will reach critical mass eventually to fill the demand for the impressive 35% of Facebook users who will tire of 20-somethings hassling them to get off their turf. Until then, you're just stuck with us.
Especially since Facebook added new privacy features also make it the choice for adults who need more "separation" between work and play.
Also interesting to see will be how Facebook changes once the percentage of users over 21 reaches that critical 70% mark, enabling alcoholic beverage makers to advertise there. That might be the breaking point where the "kids" are forced to accept that they're outnumbered. Of course, by then, Facebook will likely have long been left to us old folks for something newer and shinier.
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