General Question

skgskgskg22's avatar

Do you think it's weird when older people have myspace and facebook?

Asked by skgskgskg22 (260points) April 15th, 2008

It seems like it’s a social network for younger adults.

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

28 Answers

amandaafoote's avatar

Yes, I do. Haha

ketoneus's avatar

What’s your definition of older?

I signed up for both because, as an online marketer, I thought I should check out the current trends. But, I’m only 30, so I’m not sure if that puts me in the old fart category or not.

peedub's avatar

I think it can be useful for artists, musicians, or others no matter what age, as it is an effective networking tool.

One doesn’t have to go overboard with it.

@skg- how old is too old, in your opinion?

ppcakes's avatar

i think its weired my dad has one and trys to add me, also his wife and her mom. I think anyone over the age of 50 is just purely pedophilerific.

amandaafoote's avatar

@ppcakes, i love your word pedophilerific. ahahah

jamms's avatar

its not an exclusive club.

On the other hand it annoys me to see young kids, read under 16, online networking with adults. Thats weird, creepy, and dangerous.

skgskgskg22's avatar

Hmm I would say when you hit the 40’s.

ppcakes's avatar

i agree with jamms, for the most part as long as they don’t bother me i’m fine with it, but when i get an add about once a week and numerous messages, its kind of awkward.

@amanda, thanks!

peedub's avatar

I don’t know, I guess it depends on the person. With some old guys (people) I might think creepo or weird, others I might think creative or open minded

Fallstand's avatar

I think it’s a little weird but more Facebook than MySpace.. Facebook in my eyes is still kind of a college social networking site since that’s what its first intention was

peedub's avatar

I think it’s cool that Roald Dahl has one.

Oh wait, he’s dead.

kevbo's avatar

I find your line of thinking offensive, as well as that of those of you who agree with this premise. I could just as easily say the same about the lot of you children who have, at times, lowered the bar on this site with your inanities, relationship drama and dumbass txtspk.

You do know that the creators of those sites opened the gates to everyone, right? So it’s not like those of use who are of drinking age are hacking our way onto the site. Those of us who weren’t born suckling on the social network pacifier are discovering that it’s a pleasantly useful way to catch up with old friends and stay in touch with family.

And if you’re getting unwanted attention, there’s plenty of ways to ignore and block those people.

Or, you could just turn off the computer every once and a while and go play outside.

DeezerQueue's avatar

@Kevbo (fl) I couldn’t have crafted a better response if I had to dash out and purchase the words.

To the questioner, I’m fairly certain you’ll be eating your own words since you’ve been raised with this technology and find it an increasingly integral part of your life, even after Facebook will be but a lingering memory in 30 years.

Do you know Gopher?

peedub's avatar

I agree, to me It is a little bit ageist.

jz1220's avatar

I think it’s perfectly fine that “older” people are on the sites. In my experience, I don’t find that they try to meet people on the sites, they just keep in touch with others and the site helps facilitate that. It doesn’t feel intrusive or creepy, at least not on Facebook, where privacy is pretty airtight if you want it to be. I am college-aged and I’ve used Facebook to keep in touch with old internship bosses and professors. It’s a great networking tool, and not as dry as Linked In.

sccrowell's avatar

@kevbo, I couldn’t have said it any better! I hope you don’t mind if second that!

crawz's avatar

its part of our culture now.

TheHaight's avatar

kevbo rules.
Just ignore the creepos! Thats is what blocking is for!!!
I hate myspace and dont have a facebook.
Ay yi yi.

Trustinglife's avatar

I appreciate Kevbo’s response. I also happen to think that it’s a little… um… different, when I see someone in their 40’s/50’s on Facebook. Not weird or wrong or pedophilerific – although I love that word, ppcakes – just different.

I’m 27, and appreciate Facebook for exactly the reasons Kevbo said: keeping in touch with old friends and family. I’ve been amazed at how much fun it’s been to re-connect with old high school and college acquaintances.

My parents (ages 58 and 67, and very cool) were asking me recently for advice about the social networking world, and I recommended LinkedIn for them. It’s more professional, and I imagine the formal atmosphere would feel more comfortable for them. And more appropriate to the networking they want to do there. If they were to get on Facebook and add me, well, I’d think it was… cute. And happily add them.

Emilyy's avatar

Kevbo, my kindred spirit, I see I’m not the first to offer praise, but you are simply the shit.

As far as people getting requests for unwelcome adds once a week, I simply put in my profile that I’m looking for “friends only, please” and have my profile marked private so people can’t look though my pictures and profile. And I haven’t gotten a single add from a stranger aside from bands and comedians, and they add everyone.

Plus, what the heck would make a 40–50 year-old on Facebook or Myspace “pedophilerific”?? Pedophilia has little to do with age. A 21-year-old could be considered a pedophile if looking at naughty pictures of a 13-year-old! If the person is there to look at nudie pictures of children, then someone at any age could be considered a pedophile, and is clearly misusing the site. If someone is 40–50 and on a networking site, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re there to indulge creepy and illegal tendencies. Maybe they just want to socialize with other consenting adults!! What a novel concept. Listen up, whippersnappers: they may be older than you, but they want to join these sites to do exactly what you do with your friends. Man, what assholes those old farts are, horning in on all the fun that us 18–25ers are having.

hollywoodduck's avatar

I think there is a difference, I think you can be “older” and use the site to keep in touch with friends and family and not be weird about it and then I think you can be any age and still use the site for the wrong reasons.

But, in ten years we’ll be the “older” people on Facebook and MySpace…will it still be “weird” then?

I think that part of the reason these sites are more populated with the “younger” folks is because we’re online all the time. This is how we communicate. A lot of those “older” folks don’t use the internet like we do, and those that do are on the social networking sites.

ppcakes's avatar

maybe i should have edited my comment to say, i think my father having a myspace is pretty pedophilerific… i didn’t mean to offend anyone and yes of course, you cant have a pedophile without “younger kids” posting inappropriate pictures.
i personally dont care if “older” people have myspaces, its basically my father and his “friends and family” that bother me. maybe thats because i have something against my father, i would have no problem if my mom made one and added me, id be like oh hell yeah! i keep my profile on private and all that jazz and along with what others said no one really bothers me except bands. sorry for anyone who took my comment as an insult, but basically it was sort of based around my father and his family and i know thats way bias.

scamp's avatar

Kudos to Kevbo and Emily for putting the youngsters in their place! I happen to be one of those “old farts” on Myspace, and I too am completely offended by what you said here. When I got my page, I didn’t see any type of cut off that was age related. I use my page to keep in touch with friends and family, and I don’t add anyone I don’t know. My page is set to private, because like some of you, I don’t use it to ‘shop” for friends. The youngest on my page is 11, and she is the daughter of a close friend. The oldest is 50, and I have friends of various ages in between. If you want to redefine Myspace the same way you are trying to do here at Fluther and make it a place for only the young and ignorant, just let me know, and I will delete my page. I don’t want to be found guilty by association!

sleuth9216's avatar

if its Mr. Reif then yes

punkrockworld's avatar

Yeah it freaks me out sometimes.Most of the time those people are perverted.
They’ll be like ‘You’re cute, R u still a virgin’

DELETE

People, get a life!

DeezerQueue's avatar

@punkrockworld The chances that an older person would use so much txtspk are pretty small.

JellyB's avatar

Not at all. Facebook is a great way to keep in contact, and even find old friends too. I don’t spend much time there, only the occasional hello and catch up on some news, and that’s that! It just replaces the phone and writing letters, that’s all. :)

xime's avatar

I think it is fine, anyways everyone is also going to be really old someday! And face book helps you keep in touch with friends and family. I am not planning on leaving my accounts, actually the other day I was thinking we as a young generation are lucky because we will probably maintain our friends longer (and easier) than our parents have.

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