Older workers drive social networking in the office

Think those young workers, fresh out of college, all shiny and idealistic are driving the use of social networking at your company?

Well, think again.

The youngest workers in the office aren't the driving force behind social networking in the enterprise. It's Generation X - people between 29 and 49 - who are taking to these new tools, according to a Forrester Consulting study.

And it's not just Gen-Xers showing up the Generation Y-ers, who range from 15 to 28 years old, in the office. The report, which was sponsored by Citrix Systems, noted that after Gen X workers, Baby Boomers over 55 were the most likely to use social tools in the workplace.

"We know from our own experience that the workforce is more dispersed and mobile than ever, and that people are increasingly turning to technology to help them collaborate with colleagues and customers many miles away," said Bernardo de Albergaria, a vice president with Citrix, in a statement.

And it may be no surprise that the youngest workers aren't driving this social push in the enterprise.

A 2009 study by digital consulting firm iStrategyLabs showed that the number of Facebook users over the age of 55 was booming, while high school and college-age users were on the decline. Specifically, the report found that users over 55 showed 513.7 per cent growth in just a six-month period.

And just months before the iStrategyLabs study came out, online tracker Hitwise reported that Facebook users over the age of 35 were seeing huge growth.

This week's Forrester Consulting study showed that Gen Y workers are using social tools. They're just not using them as much.

The report, which was based on an international online survey of 797 information workers last month, showed that 40 per cent of Gen Y workers who use social media for business do so daily. That's compared to 50 per cent of workers who are 55 and older. And those 55-and-over boomers have increased their business use of social media by 79 per cent in the past year.

The study also noted that collaborative tools are on the rise.

The use of video chat is up 56 per cent from last year, while the use of team document-sharing sites is up 55 per cent and Web conferencing is up 52 per cent.

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