The Impact of Social Media on Elderly’s Quality of Life

Quality of life has become a concern for the elderly, as their physical and mental health issues become more serious as they get older. Research shows that usage of social media helps the elderly in improving cognitive functions such as inhibitory control and reduces negative feelings such as depression, loneliness, and isolation. This study investigated the impact of social media usage on elderly wellbeing. Ten elderly (6 females and 4 males) aged 60 and above who have had at least one year of experience, using social media participated in the interview sessions. The results of the study shows that Facebook had the highest population among participants at 26%. This is because Facebook has a user-friendly interface, allowing the elderly to connect with their friends and family, read news from around the world, and share their daily photos or videos to their friends. There are many advantages of using social media for the elderly – it is convenient, easy to be connected to the world, reduces feelings of depression, loneliness, and isolation, and enables them to find a great deal of information and knowledge. The elderly can control their use of social media; therefore, it does not affect their sleep quality. Some do, however, feel excited when playing online games. The elderly also have positive feelings towards social media use and feel connected to the world. They are also able to stay connected with their friends and family who are far away from them. Social media also provides news features that allow the elderly to stay updated on the news. They can seek needed information such as health information.