Social media for the over 50s: A quick guide to each platform

Mum and daughter looking at computer smiling

Social media has become as much a part of daily life as the morning cuppa for many.

In our New Zealand Seniors Digital Trends Report, we found that social media was the fifth most commonly cited function that was important to over 50s who use technology on a weekly basis. But there are still plenty who haven’t joined social media, or are a little anxious to learn their way around a new platform.

If the over 50s crowd knows anything by now, it’s that it’s never too late to learn. So, let’s take a closer look at three of the biggest platforms, what they offer, and how you can get started.

Facebook

Facebook has been the world leader in social media for quite some time, with some estimates indicating that almost two-thirds of Kiwis had accounts in January 2020.

This platform offers a little of everything, with a wide variety of features including:

Creating your own profile
Sharing photos, videos, and text of your own with friends
Re-sharing interesting and funny posts from other people
Following accounts of friends, family, celebrities, and brands
Chat and calling functions with friends and businesses
Shopping for second-hand goods with Facebook Marketplace
Getting birthday reminders for friends and family
Joining groups (such as family or interest groups)
Finding local events
Watching short videos

It’s easy enough to sign up for an account. Simply go to Facebook.com and enter a few details then tap ‘Sign Up’. There’s so much available on the platform that it can help to ask a friend or family member already on Facebook to sit with you to show you the ropes.

Snapchat

Snapchat is an app that is primarily used for sending photos and videos to friends and family. But there’s a catch – they only last for a few seconds.

It might sound silly, but there’s something enjoyable about snapping a quick photo or video of some part of your day and sending it away. It’s a highly casual form of communication, and it makes it easy to quickly send photos to just one of your contacts or many. There’s also less of an expectation that your contacts will reply – it’s more of a way to say, ‘I saw this cute dog and thought you’d like to see it, too’.

Here are the key features of Snapchat:

Easily send photos and videos to contacts (on the platform)
Add filters and effects to your photos and videos
Send and receive text messages
Share or watch stories (that disappear after 24 hours)

To sign up, download the app on the Google Play store (for Android users), or the Apple store (for Apple users), enter a few basic details, and click ‘Sign Up’.

Instagram

Instagram is a highly visual social media platform and is much simpler than Facebook. This is a platform primarily for sharing photos and videos on your account, and for sharing and watching short videos known as Instagram Reels.

These are the main features of Instagram:

Share photos and short videos with your friends and family
Opt for a private account (only contacts can see what you share) or a public account (anyone can see what you share)
View photos and videos from friends, family, your favourite brands and celebrities
Watch Instagram Reels
Send and receive messages privately with friends

There are a couple of ways you can sign up for Instagram. Either go to Instagram.com to sign up from your browser or download the app from the Apple store or Google Play store. You’ll need to fill in a couple of basic details and click ‘Sign Up’ to get started.

Safety tips for social media

Social media is a great outlet for keeping in touch with friends and family old and new, but there are risks.

The majority of the seniors we surveyed in our Digital Trends Report (69%) cited safety and security concerns as one of the greatest challenges felt by seniors when using technology.

One common social media scam is when a scammer sets up an account pretending to be someone you know. For example, the scammer might steal photos from your child’s account and set up a new account pretending to be them – then contact you and others to urgently ask for money to help with an emergency.

That’s why it’s so important to take measures to stay safe online. Here are a few tips specifically for staying safe on social media:

Keep your accounts private so strangers can’t see your images or details
Only accept friend requests from people you know in person
Be extremely cautious if someone in your contacts asks for money (pick up the phone and call them to double check)
Never share your social media account passwords with anyone
Don’t overshare information about your life
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is