Band 5+: In many countries, the use of social media has become increasingly popular among elderly people. Some people think this trend brings more benefits than drawbacks to the older generation. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Using social media is becoming inseparable activity to human life in all ages. The vast majority of people in many countries access and utilise social media and this has an upward trend in popularity among elderly people. I sided to some people who argue that this trend creates more advantages than disadvantages to the older people for two main reasons.

First and foremost, having an account on social media and being able to utilize it can help elderly people connect with their families or relatives especially when they are far away. It is generally true that the older people often feel lonely once they are retired from their job or they have inability to actively move away from home so they tend to need facilities to socialize. Although social media has an impact on consuming time, it can provide a media to make the unreached reached, so the elder can share their life update, gather information from the others, or even have bonding time with families using video conference.

Secondly, social media can be the source of knowledge and news for older people who are stay at home. It is inevitable that social media contains a lot of information that can be easily accessed and suited to elderly people needs. As a matter of fact, social media has been created with some particular algorithms that will offer us information based on what we looked for before. Once elderly people type a keyword to search information, the system on social media will record and automatically provide related information. For instance, if elderly people browse some information about politics, the system will display a lot of politics news, what is happening now, and what is the trend in politics. These all will entertain the older people and make them keep update with their surroundings.

In conclusion, the popularity of using social media for older people can create more positive effects than the negative one. Therefore, I believe that elderly citizen can function the social in order to help them passing through their retirement phase and entertain them even they only stay at home.