According to data recently released by the European Interactive Advertising Association, 18% of European over-55s now visit a social networking site at least once a month.
The past year has seen a 12% jump in these so-called silver surfers, and new social networking forums such as MyChumsClub and Saga Zone are appearing to accommodate older users. Online social networking is maturing in other ways, too.
Following concerns that office-bound staff were spending too much of their day on social networking sites such as Facebook - a recent survey concluded that office workers in the UK spend company time worth £130m each day browsing online - many British firms are now mounting crackdowns against their use.
