The frequency of Internet use as a key factor of vulnerability among senior population: Regular user vs. irregular user

The ageing of the population along with an enhanced quality of life - active ageing - is turning seniors into a market niche of high commercial interest, due to their volume, growth potential and financial stability. Hence, it is especially valuable for brands to investigate the knowledge of the senior internet regular user (SIRU) as recipient of the advertising message. This project seeks to display the results of a study performed on 184 individuals, from 65 to 84 years old, living in Segovia capital (Spain) and with active ageing habits. The results confirm the heterogeneity of the seniors and, therefore, the difficulty of contacting them by means of new technologies. Half of the interviewees are SIRU. The 'heavy user' is a 65 to 74 year-old man with secondary school or higher education (100% SIHU) and, the 'light user' is a 75 to 84 year-old woman with elementary school education (21.1% SIRU). Age, gender and, in particular, education level, define the ICT use and, consequently, the digital divide. Finally, the conclusions reveal that elderly people are not essentially technophobes. However, the exception to this are social media, since they represent the least used and valued technology.