I Want My Eons.com
This past week marked the 25th anniversary of MTV. It also marked the debut of eons.com, the Web portal aimed at Baby Boomers 50 and over.
MTV was a milestone -- a cable television network devoted to youth culture through music videos. Eons.com is also a milestone of sorts; an online social network designed for the needs of a particular subset of Boomers.
At 43, I am ineligible for eons – a distinction I will covet for seven more years. It’s not the first time I seemed to miss a generational cut off. In 1969, it was Sesame Street, in 1981 MTV, and today it is mySpace. All three have impacted peoples’ lives in untold ways, but none has been particularly relevant to my day to day life.
To be honest, I am not sure how many Boomers will want to be part of a club geared to the AARP set. And sneaking onto the eons site is very different than a “tweener” pretending to be 14 to join mySpace.
I applaud the attempt by eons, though. I think 50+ Boomers are greatly underserved. Every technology conference I attend seems to skew discussions to an under 30 generation, leaving many an older boomer out in the cold, far reaches of cyberspace.
But challenges and opportunities abound. How can we reach older Boomers and introduce them to products, services and information that they may find useful? Do we market the same products differently or create new applications and environments specifically for those born between 1946 and 1964? Or is it a combination of both?
Research suggests that a majority of seniors over 60 avoid the Internet and gadgets. These seniors see fewer advantages from technology – finding it more intimidating and less likely to make their lives easier. It is not surprising that they worry more about computers’ impact on their lives.
On the other hand, it is estimated that adults over 50 have $2 trillion in annual spending power, make up 13 percent of the population and are more likely to go online for health and financial information.
So why then is eons greeted as a novelty and with so much fanfare? Putting aside its extensive archive of obituaries and longevity calculator, eons reflects the importance of the growing online needs of older Americans and how to reach them.
It is hard to market to the Boomer generation because many Boomers are conflicted and do not want to identify with their age. Many companies market to this group, but don’t publicize their commitment. No one wants to be perceived as “too old.” Consequently, many business ventures serving this group can’t get financial backing or have folded due to a lack of advertising support.
Boomers, in fact, are not a monolithic group. Younger Boomers have had enough experience with the Internet in the workplace to have a higher comfort level. Regardless of age, there is always going to be an early adapter sub group who tries new things and embraces the latest gadget.
For me, eons strikes a responsive chord. More than a reminder of my growing number of grey hairs, it is a recognition that we Boomers need to embrace social media in order to reap its benefits and stay relevant. And that is tough when we have jobs and families to focus on. Who over 30 has time to update their myspace page, go to work and take the kids to soccer practice? For us, social networking is not integrated into our daily lives the way it is for younger generations.
In part my interest in social media reflects my need to keep pace with the next generation entering the workforce. I stay current because I need to. I spend time wondering what impact the mySpace and facebook generation will have on what is and what will be expected of me. I can’t afford to disengage or wait and find out. The crush of the technological imperative forces my participation.
Let me get back to you.
MTV was a milestone -- a cable television network devoted to youth culture through music videos. Eons.com is also a milestone of sorts; an online social network designed for the needs of a particular subset of Boomers.
At 43, I am ineligible for eons – a distinction I will covet for seven more years. It’s not the first time I seemed to miss a generational cut off. In 1969, it was Sesame Street, in 1981 MTV, and today it is mySpace. All three have impacted peoples’ lives in untold ways, but none has been particularly relevant to my day to day life.
To be honest, I am not sure how many Boomers will want to be part of a club geared to the AARP set. And sneaking onto the eons site is very different than a “tweener” pretending to be 14 to join mySpace.
I applaud the attempt by eons, though. I think 50+ Boomers are greatly underserved. Every technology conference I attend seems to skew discussions to an under 30 generation, leaving many an older boomer out in the cold, far reaches of cyberspace.
But challenges and opportunities abound. How can we reach older Boomers and introduce them to products, services and information that they may find useful? Do we market the same products differently or create new applications and environments specifically for those born between 1946 and 1964? Or is it a combination of both?
Research suggests that a majority of seniors over 60 avoid the Internet and gadgets. These seniors see fewer advantages from technology – finding it more intimidating and less likely to make their lives easier. It is not surprising that they worry more about computers’ impact on their lives.
On the other hand, it is estimated that adults over 50 have $2 trillion in annual spending power, make up 13 percent of the population and are more likely to go online for health and financial information.
So why then is eons greeted as a novelty and with so much fanfare? Putting aside its extensive archive of obituaries and longevity calculator, eons reflects the importance of the growing online needs of older Americans and how to reach them.
It is hard to market to the Boomer generation because many Boomers are conflicted and do not want to identify with their age. Many companies market to this group, but don’t publicize their commitment. No one wants to be perceived as “too old.” Consequently, many business ventures serving this group can’t get financial backing or have folded due to a lack of advertising support.
Boomers, in fact, are not a monolithic group. Younger Boomers have had enough experience with the Internet in the workplace to have a higher comfort level. Regardless of age, there is always going to be an early adapter sub group who tries new things and embraces the latest gadget.
For me, eons strikes a responsive chord. More than a reminder of my growing number of grey hairs, it is a recognition that we Boomers need to embrace social media in order to reap its benefits and stay relevant. And that is tough when we have jobs and families to focus on. Who over 30 has time to update their myspace page, go to work and take the kids to soccer practice? For us, social networking is not integrated into our daily lives the way it is for younger generations.
In part my interest in social media reflects my need to keep pace with the next generation entering the workforce. I stay current because I need to. I spend time wondering what impact the mySpace and facebook generation will have on what is and what will be expected of me. I can’t afford to disengage or wait and find out. The crush of the technological imperative forces my participation.
Let me get back to you.
Technorati Tags: Eons; MTV; Boomers; social+media;
That being said, Eons Founder Jeff Taylor is a mere 45 years old. So perhaps our generation (too-old-for-Sesame-Street & MySpace, too-young-for-AARP & Eons) is charged with creating the very properties that will appeal to us as soon as our kids are out of the house.
At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Comment this)
My question is this, which is more impactful? Depends on who you ask, doesn't it?
http://news.com.com/2009-1042_3-6099132.html?tag=nefd.lede (Comment this)
We need to be brave as we approach AARP eligibility. And your observation is spot on. We are Internet tweeners --too old to be raised on the Internet, but young enough to take full of advantage of it. We are going to have to carry the torch for the Boomers and make sure that our generation is not left behind with each web 2.0 advancement or incursion -- depending on your perspective. (Comment this)