Overall, technology adoption among seniors has been increasing slowly but surely. Today, three quarters of seniors have a cell phone, six in ten use the internet, and almost half have broadband at home. Those still trail the national average, but they have been steadily increasing since we began tracking these metrics way back in 2000.

But we also found that the senior population is far from homogeneous—there are two distinct “camps” within the older adult population when it comes to technology use:

1) The first group of seniors is fairly plugged in—they own a fair number of technology assets, have integrated these tools into their lives, and view that connectivity as a positive thing. This group is relatively young, educated, affluent.

2) The other camp is largely disconnected from the digital world. They don’t use technology to any great degree, they would not feel comfortable learning how on their own, and in many cases they don’t feel like they are missing out on too much. This group is both older and less affluent, and they often have significant health or disability issues that make it challenging for them to use technology.

Read or download the full report: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/

In honor of Virgin Islands history month, we put together this compilation of photos from the Library of Congress Farm Security Act photos taken in 1941. This wonderful collection offers uncommon insight into the first time U.S. Virgin Islanders – many the descendants of slaves – had a real opportunity to purchase land.

It is a testament to the strength and endurance of this collection of islands and her people. Sugarmill Media is proud to call the U.S. Virgin Islands home! There is no other place like it on earth! The water, the sun, the sand – but more than anything it is the PEOPLE that make this place the best to come home to.

You can see more from this incredible collection on the Library of Congress tumblr page.

Enjoy!

Compilation by
Sugarmill Media, LLC
www.sugarmillmedia.com

Music Courtesy of
Steven Katz
www.stevenkatzmusic.com

Photos by Jack Delano as part of the U.S. Farm Security Program 1941 – Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF34-9058-C]

But wait! There’s more :)….

See Virgin Islands’ history in the making in this Pressure Busspipe video – this song is overflowing with VI love and talent. Check out the credits – we have some talent on these islands meh son!

Published on Feb 10, 2014

Did you know that 15% of American adults do not use the internet or email?

Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project revealed that 15 percent of U.S. adults do not use the internet at all. This finding comes a bit of a surprise, considering the staggering amount of information, networking opportunities, and huge variety of transactions (e.g., banking, buying, selling, among others) that can be done online.

When asked why they don’t use the internet, about 34 percent said that the internet is not relevant to them – either they don’t want to use it, they don’t find a need for it, or they’re simply not interested.

Approximately 32 percent said they don’t find the internet user-friendly. They say it is frustrating or difficult for them to go online, or they are concerned about spam, malicious programs, and hacking.

Yet another 19 percent said they don’t feel like spending for a computer or paying for an internet subscription.

For more information about findings of this study, check out Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project full report.

Share This Post on Facebook!

The recent study of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project revealed interesting facts about how Americans use location-based services. Here’s a few:

About 74 percent of adult smartphone owners use their phones to get directions or other information based on their location.

An estimated 30 percent of adult social media users say that at least one of their accounts is set up to include their post location.

Roughly 12 percent of adult smartphone users indicated the use of geosocial service to “check in” to certain locations. Majority of them (39 percent) said they check in using Facebook; 18 percent on Foursquare; and 14 percent on Google Plus.

Credit:topdogsocialmedia.com

To read the complete report on Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project’s Location-Based Study, check it out here.

Share This Post on Facebook!

Credit: deanjshaw.com

A new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project underwritten by Carnegie Mellon University finds that:

86% of internet users have taken steps online to remove or mask their digital footprints—ranging from clearing cookies to encrypting their email.

55% of internet users have taken steps to avoid observation by specific people, organizations, or the government.

The representative survey of 792 internet users, among a sample of 1,002 adults ages 18 and older, also finds that notable numbers of internet users say they have experienced problems because others stole their personal information or otherwise took advantage of their visibility online. Some of the key findings:

21% of internet users have had an email or social networking account compromised or taken over by someone else without permission.

12% have been stalked or harassed online.

11% have had important personal information stolen such as their Social Security Number, credit card, or bank account information.

6% have been the victim of an online scam and lost money.

6% have had their reputation damaged because of something that happened online.

4% have been led into physical danger because of something that happened online.

Still, 59% of internet users do not believe it is possible to be completely anonymous online, while 37% of them believe it is possible.

Anonymity, Privacy, and Security Online

Follow the Pewinternet.org complete report here. 

Share This Post on Facebook!