ABSTRACT

In the last decade, our society witnessed an explosive growth in computer-mediated communication (CMC), because of the proliferation of computer use and the expansion of the Internet. These advances in technology have increased our ability to develop and maintain new networks of interpersonal relationships that would be difficult to form in the face-to-face world (Wellman, 1997; Wood & Smith, 2001). During the same time period, we have also seen a rapid increase in the number of older adults (age 50 and older), because of the aging of the baby-boomer cohort and health and medical developments that have expanded the average life span (Nussbaum, Thompson, Robinson, & Pecchioni, 2000). In the year 2000, there were an estimated 35 million people age 65 or older in the United States, accounting for almost 13% of the total population. By 2011, the baby-boom generation will begin to turn 65, whereas by 2030, it is projected that one in five people will be age 65 or older (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, 2000). During the next decade, the use of computer technology and computer-mediated communication, and the number of older adult Internet users within the United States are projected to increase steadily (Fox et al., 2001).