Skype, iPods, webcams find home with senior women
By
Howard Wolinsky on March 10, 2009 in In the news.
Tech isn't just for geeks.
Fortune magazine said:
"Granny loves Facebook. And Skype. And her iPod."
Forget the stereotypes about senior women fearing technology.
Fortune reports on a new survey by VibrantNation showing that senior women are embracing tech big time.
The survey of 20,000 older women found 63 percent say they own an iPod or other MP3 player. Thirty percent say they use Skype. And 28 percent say they use a mini-camcorder to shoot videos that they upload to the web.
"All of a sudden it seems the world is waking up to what we already know," said Carol Orsborn, a senior strategist for VibrantNation. "Women at midlife and beyond are early adopters [of technology], competitive with their kids, and in many cases, they are beating out their kids."
Skype and webcams help keep the women in touch with their network of friends.
Stephen Reily, CEO of VibrantNation, said, "They're using technology to enhance the lives they already have, rather than filling the gap with gadgets that are a distraction, the way a teen boy might."
