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We can only hope. I hear AARP has a hot new social network for most of the demographic on Facebook.

toomuchtodo 5y ago
I’m actually very excited to see AARP’s social network go live. It’ll be run by a non profit specifically for the cohort that’ll be using it, which better aligns the org’s incentives with that of its users. Yet another effort in clawing back power and audience from Big Tech. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/aarp-backed-social-network-looks-to-lure-older-users-from-facebook/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/aarp-backed-soci... https://community.seniorplanet.org/ https://community.seniorplanet.org/ “The social network was developed by an AARP affiliate, Older Adults Technology Services. OATS started out giving computer classes to older folks in New York City and has expanded its physical footprint over the years. During the pandemic, those classes moved online, and Senior Planet Community grew from that transition.” “Besides its focus on the 50-plus set, Senior Planet Community stands apart from Facebook in that it’s not commercial. The site has no advertising or membership fees. Unless the cost to run the site grows substantially, that probably won’t present much of a problem. AARP isn’t saying how much it has put into Senior Planet Community, but the organization is famously well-capitalized, with $2.3 billion in net assets and $1.7 billion in revenue in 2020.” (disclosure: AARP member)
- MerelyMortal 5y ago
  I'm in my 30s, and wanted to create an account out of curiousity (and maybe because there might be good discussions that I would be interested in). The sign-up page asks for your birthdate, and then says the community is exclusively for people over 50. I have more friends over 50 than under 50 lol.
  - otherotherchris 5y ago
    I'm in my 30's and am in the same boat. A lot of my older colleagues and mentors are over 50 and won't use this service because half their network is excluded. The most toxic people on Nextdoor and Facebook are over 60, are just a little bit racist as old people are, and haven't learned the social norms of internet use. Moderation is going to be a very expensive exercise for them if they don't want the site to turn full neo-nazi like Parler did seemingly overnight.

I’m actually very excited to see AARP’s social network go live. It’ll be run by a non profit specifically for the cohort that’ll be using it, which better aligns the org’s incentives with that of its users. Yet another effort in clawing back power and audience from Big Tech. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/aarp-backed-social-network-looks-to-lure-older-users-from-facebook/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/aarp-backed-soci... https://community.seniorplanet.org/ https://community.seniorplanet.org/ “The social network was developed by an AARP affiliate, Older Adults Technology Services. OATS started out giving computer classes to older folks in New York City and has expanded its physical footprint over the years. During the pandemic, those classes moved online, and Senior Planet Community grew from that transition.” “Besides its focus on the 50-plus set, Senior Planet Community stands apart from Facebook in that it’s not commercial. The site has no advertising or membership fees. Unless the cost to run the site grows substantially, that probably won’t present much of a problem. AARP isn’t saying how much it has put into Senior Planet Community, but the organization is famously well-capitalized, with $2.3 billion in net assets and $1.7 billion in revenue in 2020.” (disclosure: AARP member)

MerelyMortal 5y ago
I'm in my 30s, and wanted to create an account out of curiousity (and maybe because there might be good discussions that I would be interested in). The sign-up page asks for your birthdate, and then says the community is exclusively for people over 50. I have more friends over 50 than under 50 lol.
- otherotherchris 5y ago
  I'm in my 30's and am in the same boat. A lot of my older colleagues and mentors are over 50 and won't use this service because half their network is excluded. The most toxic people on Nextdoor and Facebook are over 60, are just a little bit racist as old people are, and haven't learned the social norms of internet use. Moderation is going to be a very expensive exercise for them if they don't want the site to turn full neo-nazi like Parler did seemingly overnight.