Baby boomers may not be as young as they once were, but their bandwidth demands match those of younger generations.
Baby boomers are the rock-n-roll generation that was raised on television. Named for the post-World War II “baby boom” of 1946-1964, this was the first generation pitched products by modern marketers, the first to live in suburbs, the first to shop in malls and the first to have a television in every living room. As the boomer population ages – those over 65 are set to double by 2050 (age 85-plus set to triple) – they will do so with plenty of spending money. In fact, by 2017, 70% of U.S. disposable income will be controlled by baby boomers. Their biggest competition is the millennial generation, an echo generation to the boomer generation in size and in spending, so it is not surprising that they are compared. The results show the “greatest generation” is ready to turn off the TV and turn on their smartphones and tablets.
As a Generation X’er, I’ve found that both my mother and my mother-in-law are more gadget happy than me. They may not be tech-savvy, but that doesn’t matter. My mom practically demanded a Kindle when it first hit the shelves and was delighted to get a Fitbit for her birthday this year. Every time she visits, she pulls out her tablet to show photos of a recent visit to my sister or take photos of my son toddling around so she can show family back home. My mother-in-law practically lives on Facebook. She Skypes with grandkids as much as she can and always has a new phone or tablet. For both ladies, desire for new technology pushes the learning curve and though they may not have the instant understanding of a digital native, they are no newbies to figuring out life and solving problems. Technology is just another challenge they are happy to take on, especially if it means an opportunity to share and brag about grandkids.
A 2016 survey by CommScope on global user trends of millennials and baby boomers confirmed that nearly half (42%) of boomers would rather give up their cable TV than their smart phone. Jim Barke, a boomer and VP of engineering at CommScope, just dropped cable TV to stream exclusively using Apple TV. This move saves him save $70 per month and he notes that in the past two months, four other families close to him have also dropped cable for streaming. New technology is becoming a way of life, as 27% of boomers have the latest smart phone model and more than half (51%) could not go a day without their smart phone. Barke stays connected with work and home life using applications and his smartphone because it is a lot easier than with a tablet or traditional laptop. He pointed out how approving a work order took five “clicks” on his tablet, but only one “click” on his Apple iPhone. His favorite app is called Wunderlist, which is a to-do app that allows for notes and meeting agendas and it syncs to all his devices. His phone also syncs to his Ford truck and allows for hands-free calls. In his personal life, he does all his banking online. He has autopay set up for bills and has direct deposit or takes a photo with his phone to deposit checks. He would love to coordinate calendars with his wife via a phone app, but she struggles to adapt and prefers writing notes on a traditional calendar. These similarities are seen in their parents: both sets of parents are in their 90s, but his embrace cell phones and iPads, while hers have remained cautious. The flip side is Facebook – he’s not that interested, but she enjoys the social aspect of keeping up with friends and family.
A leading market study by NPD Group showed that 41% of Boomers regularly visit social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn and are accessing the internet via multiple devices like computers, tablets and smartphones. Steve Friedman, part of the boomer generation and an attorney with the CommScope legal team, relates how technology has made being connected with family easier. Text messaging, sharing photos and using Facetime are part of life for Friedman. He recounts a holiday gathering where a missing family member was “Facetimed” on an iPad so he could be in the family photo. Technology takes away the distance and keeps families closer.
Cellphone ownership for boomers is at 84% to 86%, according to Pew research, and both generations have surprisingly similar internet habits – email use (91% boomers/94% millennials); search engines (88%/89%); research health info (78%/85%); and news access (74%/83%).
And they like it fast. Eighty-seven percent of baby boomers in Brazil, Great Britain, America and China find a slow internet connection annoying or very annoying. For speed, they are matching millennials’ appetite (88%) and both generations find slow connectivity not only annoying, but frustrating and unacceptable (69% millennials vs. 69% boomers).
This is especially true when it comes to staying active, as many boomers are now connected to their computers and smart devices when it comes to tracking exercise, calories and a host of other health-related activities. More on that in Part two of this series, coming Jan. 2.
Melissa Strait is an administrative assistant for the Office of CTO at CommScope. Strait has a background of 10 years in writing about arts, culture and the Twin Cities community and is excited to foray into broadband network solutions and wireless technology. Under her maiden name Slachetka, she held the title of freelance journalist, book reviewer and newspaper editor until she decided to take the title of “Mrs.” by marrying a graphic designer and starting a family.
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