It appears we are getting social on the go. What’s interesting to me is the age group that has expanded the most is the one stereotyped as “not social” or at least not that savvy with social media. Still, as tools and the social networks themselves become simplified, and perhaps because mobile phones are practically the only way to actually get through to anyone under the age of 25, the 55+ crowd is apparently getting better at navigating tiny keyboards

The statistics above don’t show how engaged this older market is in actually sharing, however. I suspect that the younger set is much more active and less inclined to filter what they say online. So even though the 55+ market is rapidly expanding as far as mobile and social use go, the effect on business remains to be seen.  Or I should say that it’s not represented in the graph above. From my experience, the 55+ and older crowd is willing enough to be social on channels like Facebook, but often lack the understanding to be effective. I know this because I often coach these more experience business owners on the use of social tools and blogging.

This graph from my Facebook Page “Really Simple Social Media” shows that the largest audience I have is 55+. Probably because the focus is on keeping social media simple. Younger people don’t need my help in quite the same way as they don’ t have as much trouble navigating through social networking sites.

What’s this mean for companies engaging in corporate social media? Make it easy for Baby Boomers. Hidden menus like the kind found in Facebook (yes, there are navigation tools you can’t see unless you hover your mouse over them) are not exactly 55+ friendly.