It is becoming increasingly common for our elders to be seen on social media. And from here, we encourage them to do so to connect with the reality of their children and grandchildren and to discover other “worlds.” On the occasion of the 1st Edition of Senior Week, we have prepared some very practical tips for older people who are diving into the world of social media for the first time.
For those who have not yet taken the step, here are some initial points to consider when starting this journey through social media. A first piece of advice for them: don’t be afraid! You have nothing to lose by trying, and, like almost everything in life, the greatest successes come through trial and error.
- Understand what they are and what they are for.
It is important to first understand what a social network is and why we use it. In this sense, we can describe it as a digital world that runs parallel to the real one, where people “meet” to communicate with each other. Thanks to this digital “conversation” between people, social media helps us stay informed and entertained.
- Have an email account.
When creating a social media profile, the platform will ask for an email address to register. Also, it is important to have access to the inbox of that email account to validate the newly created social profile. Therefore, it is best to use the same email that was used to set up the smartphone, if you have one. If you don’t have one and need to create an email account specifically for this, we recommend using the simplest and most intuitive free service, Gmail.
- For the first time, better from a computer or tablet
Social media is especially designed to be managed and accessed from a smartphone. Still, our recommendation for older beginners is that the first time they interact on their social profile, they do so from a computer screen or a tablet. With a larger screen, it will be easier at first to read messages, distinguish between different features, and start communicating with others.
- One at a time.
Curiosity and impatience might lead you to want to open profiles on several social networks at once; but for those new to this digital world, we advise going slowly. Get to know one social network first, and once you have it under control, you can decide to embark on the adventure of opening another profile on a different network.
- Choose the one that best suits your goals, tastes, or preferences.
If you don’t know which one to choose, here is a brief definition of the main social networks and their primary purpose.
The most typical for staying in touch with friends and family. It is also widely used to easily access groups of people who share your interests.
Almost an information channel. It is mainly used to follow media outlets, blogs, journalists, brands… to stay informed about current topics and discuss them with your followers.
The social network par excellence for sharing images. It’s like a big photo album because its main purpose is to see photos of your friends and family and for you to show them yours.
If you’re looking for tutorial videos to learn how to do something, recipes, online classes, music videos, etc., this is your platform. Also, you don’t need to register to watch them; just enter the social network and search for the video you need in its browser.
- Consider privacy options.
All social networks allow you to choose privacy levels, usually from settings or configuration. From here, you decide who can see your content and who cannot. That is, you can choose whether all users of a social network have access to your photos and messages, or you can restrict it so that only your “friends” and acquaintances can see what you share on your profile. Our advice is that if you intend to post sensitive photos or photos of other people, do not leave your profile open. The less information you give strangers about your life and privacy, the better.
- Ask for help or sign up for beginner workshops.
If after these basic tips you still have doubts about how to use social media, it won’t be hard to find someone around you from the digital native generations, those born after 1995.
Have you already decided on which social network you will open your first profile?
