When we were growing up in the 60s and 70s we were told: “Never trust anyone over 30.” Now that we’re over 50, I’m sure Millennials feel the same way about us. It’s hard to imagine your grandparents being tech-savvy. But Baby Boomers have their heads in their phones almost as much as kids do. And there are plenty of Baby Boomers on social media even though we grew up playing outside instead of fixating on a video game.
Where do you like to hang out online?
We all have our favorite social media sites so I’ll start with myself.
My Favorite Social Media Sites
I embraced the online world in the late eighties when I was given a Windows 3 computer as a birthday present. It had a lightning-fast speed of 33 MHz and I had to use a dial-up modem.
Somehow, I missed MySpace and didn’t get into the forums. Most of my “relationship building” was done through email with friends sending joke chains. Then there was Facebook.
it’s fair to say that most Baby Boomers on social media gravitate to Facebook. In fact, we probably booted off a lot of Millennials because they don’t want their parents to know what they’re up to. That’s understandable. We didn’t either when we were kids. Some moved on to apps like Snapchat, and TikTok although they’re more for entertainment when you’re really bored.
When I first joined Facebook, I friended a bunch of people I didn’t know because I thought it would be a good networking opportunity. I’ve since purged a bunch because our ideologies didn’t mesh. I also accepted friend requests from a lot of my voice-over fans. I sometimes regret that I did because some of them pop up on my Timeline or in Messenger at inappropriate times. They can sometimes be a little weird, but I’m glad they still like me.
It took me a while to get into the groove of Instagram. As a blogger, I didn’t see what the advantage was to a platform where you couldn’t insert links. But now, I’m getting into it because brands love it. It’s great for travelers, foodies, and photographers and I love posting interesting images. I only post selfies occasionally and leave that to 20-year-olds. P
I’m trying to curate my Instagram feed to reflect my love of travel. I deleted some of my first photo attempts because they weren’t in sync with my theme. My first Instagram post was a shot of a probiotic brand I was writing about on my blog. My daughter took one look at it and commented “WTF?” I took it down and now avoid posting “cheesy commercials.”
I love Pinterest! Pinning photos is time-consuming but it’s a fun way to collect images of things I enjoy and I can link to my blog posts for more visibility. I wish I had more time to spend on it, but if I did, I’d never leave my computer.
X formerly Twitter
For many years, Twitter was a place where we could share what we were doing, post links, engage in interesting chats, and find a local food truck nearby. Now, that Twitter turned into X after Elon Musk took over, it has become a toxic waste dump. I still use it but it isn’t nearly as fun and can be aggravating. I hope that changes in the future. I have signed up with Threads which is part of Meta and connected to Instagram. You can only access it through its SmartPhone app and can follow the same people you follow on Instagram.
YouTube
If I ever need to learn something, I always go straight to YouTube because I’m a visual learner. My own YouTube channel has been up for years but is still a work in progress.
Podcasting
I also had a podcast for a while and my pod partner and I did almost 100 episodes. I did most of the work editing and promoting. She moved, found a boyfriend, and got married so it slowly faded away. As a voice actor, I found it fun to do but I didn’t think many Baby Boomers knew how to find and listen to podcasts.
Social media platforms come and go
There are so many social media platforms they are hard to keep up with and many die on the Vine, literally. As Baby Boomers, it’s best to find one or two you enjoy and stick to them.
Updated 8/2023
What are your favorite social media sites to hang out on.? I’d love to know in the comments.
I started long ago on Prodigy. Crazy! And even though I’m a grandma and have three millennial daughters, all with husbands, plus four grandsons, *I* am more tech savvy than any of them. 😀
Thank you for the giveaway! Answered and hoping to win!
Funny! I’m more tech savvy than my kids too when it comes to websites. They’re better at apps, though.
I think I pretty much hang out at the same online spots you do! I spend a lot of time on Facebook which, to me, is the most personal of all the social media outlets.
I agree. To me, it’s the best place to get to know people online.
I hate the out loud intrusive FB videos, too. Honestly, these platforms get out of control sometimes. And FB out loud is rude.I hang out there too much. But I also brought up your podcast at a meeting todday!
I know. The out loud videos are awful. Thanks for bringing up the podcast at your meeting. That’s so cool!
Similar to you, Facebook, Twitter and then I do like Pinterest. That site can zap me into a time portal, an hour can pass and I only realize when I get up and I am stiff and start looking for that missing hour!
That’s for sure. It does that to me too. I’ve been using BoardBooster to schedule posts at the best available times and it loops them.