The Internet: A New World with a Road Map of Its Own

by Larry Magid

The tradition of home as a refuge from bullies on the school playground is over. The Internet is the new playground, and there are no off hours. The popularity of Instant Messaging, e-mail, web pages, and blogging means kids are a target 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Although young people are more likely to go online than seniors, an increasing number of older Americans are discovering the benefits of the Internet. The Pew Internet & American Life Project recently reported the results of a survey that found that 71% of 50-to-64-year-olds and 32% of people 65 or older use the Internet. While that's proportionately lower than the 88% of 18-to-29-year-olds who go online, it's still a very significant number.

Of course, the term "senior" is pretty broad. Most people between 50 and 64 are employed and many are engaged with technology at work on the same basis as younger colleagues. What's more, it's very common these days for people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s still to be raising children under 18, which means they not only have to manage their own Internet use, but their kids' use as well.

A Growing Population on the Net

Nevertheless, as we go up the age ladder, we see two opposing numbers. While seniors 65 and older remain proportionately less likely to use the net, their numbers are growing rapidly. Pew researchers question whether this reflects a sudden interest on the part of seniors or - more likely - the fact that Internet users, like everyone else, are getting older. The net has been around long enough that there are now plenty of people who started using it in their 50s who are now in their 60s. The same Pew research indicates that about 28% of people 70 or older go online. While lower, that still represents millions of people.

There is a popular belief that older people are more vulnerable to fraud and other scams than younger people. There are indeed cases of scam artists preying on older people with phony contests, telephone solicitations and so on. And, while the vast majority of older people are mentally sharp, older people are more likely to suffer from Alzheimer's, dementia and other ailments that, in some cases, can increase their vulnerability. But you don't have to have diminished capacity to be at risk.

Anyone Can be a Victim

All age groups are vulnerable to spyware, viruses, "phishing" schemes and other malicious software. All adults are vulnerable to credit card fraud. Even children can be victimized by identify theft. Still there is some evidence, according to the Pew Survey, that younger adults Internet users are more likely to take precautions than those over 64. Eighty-four percent of Americans between 45 and 54 say they regularly review their credit card and other financial statements, compared to 69% of Americans 65 and older.

For the most part, older Internet users need to follow the same “safe computing” advice as younger adults. This includes not believing what you see from unknown sources on the Internet and being aware that it’s possible for someone to disguise their identify online. For example, it’s possible for scam artists to create a web site that looks exactly like the site of a legitimate organization. Such a site could contain software that damages your computer's security or - more likely - could ask you to disclose personal information that could put you at risk.

Any offer you get that is too good to be true almost certainly isn't true. Almost all Internet users are plagued by junk mail scams, including some that have very appealing offers. If you get a message that says you won a lottery or contest that you didn't enter, consider it a scam. If you get a message asking you to invest or help someone out that you don't know, it's probably not legitimate. Even if you get a solicitation from what appears to be a legitimate charity, it's probably a scam unless you already had a pre-existing relationship with that charity and had given them permission to contact you by email. Legitimate organizations rarely send out unsolicited email except to their members or customers.

Next: Beware of “Phishing” & Malicious Software

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