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Middle-Aged Women Flocking to Facebook -- and Getting Addicted

by Warren Riddle on April 14, 2009 at 03:35 PM



For people who follow Internet trends, the rapid evolution and proliferation of Facebook provides endless fodder for discussion and analysis. According to Facebook, the site now boasts a membership of over 200 million people, a number of cyber-citizens that, if real, would qualify Facebook as the fifth largest country in the world. Some analysts believe Facebook may be reaching its saturation point, though, as popularity with young people seems to be stagnating. Statistics indicate that membership increased less than 20-percent over the last six months for people under 25-years-old. But, in welcome news to Facebook, new evidence reveals that another group is now flocking to the site.

According to recent research, people over 30 represent the largest growing demographic on the omnipresent social networking site. This month, data from Inside Facebook, an organization that tracks the site's growth, breaks down that statistic even further; the past six months have witnessed a 550-percent explosion in membership among women over 55, making them the most rapidly growing segment of the Facebook population. Seeking to explain the movement, CNN turned to Stanford University professor B.J. Fogg for answers. Fogg attributes much of the phenomenon to women's desires to foster contact with family members, old college friends, and -- most particularly -- children, who may be more prone to open up electronically than in person or on the phone. Fogg also pointed out that as Facebook continues to expand, women may feel a need not to be "left in the dust" by their friends, co-workers, and children.

In a corresponding, and somewhat ironic, twist, addiction recovery centers have recently experienced an influx of women seeking help for Internet dependency. Coleen Moore, of the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, says she has helped women who don't bathe and abuse drugs in order to stay awake and chase the Web dragon. According to Moore, most of these women are either the mothers of adult children who use the Internet to fill a void created by an empty nest, or by new mothers who use the Web to combat feelings of isolation. So, husbands and children, it may be time to sit down with Mom and discuss healthy Internet habits, or maybe even limit her to a specific amount of Facebook time. Facebook has, in the past, adopted child-safety precautions, but hasn't released any details of future Mom-safety measures, yet. [From: CNN and CNN]

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Tags: facebook, internet addiction, InternetAddiction, social networking, socialnetworking, top, womens health, WomensHealth

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