OTTAWA – While seniors have typically been slow to adopt new technology in this Internet connected world, that trend may be changing, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
For the purposes of this report, the Senior Generation is defined as those aged 68 years and older. While they’ve seen the introduction and advancements of traditional television and radio, they’ve not grown up with publicly available Internet and wireless technologies. Seniors have been slow to adopt and find a place for these advancements in their daily lives.
Highlights from Seniors’ MediaTechnology Adoption and Use include:
– Seniors are heavy users of traditional TV and radio. They spend 56% more time watching TV than non-seniors, and spend 27% more time listening to the radio;
– Seniors haven’t embraced portable gadgets as younger generations have: only 13% own smartphones;
– One-third of seniors watch online video; however, the majority of that viewing is to YouTube.
The report is now available to subscribers on the MTM website. MTM is the research arm of the CBC.
