As I reviewed the latest PEW data for how Americans use the Internet, I had renewed hope for the evolution of our species.

Not only did social networking use in adults 65 plus DOUBLE in one year, but twitter/status update use of 50-64 yr old adults increased by 120%. The Implications section found in The Pew Internet and American Project offers three possible reasons for this dramatic increase in social media usage in older Americans — social media in general and twitter specifically.

REASON 1: To connect with long lost friends. I was not personally keen on reconnecting with some High School alums. Although I must admit I had some sense of satisfaction clicking the IGNORE button when I received an invitation from a jock who publicly humiliated me in 9th grade geography. 

REASON 2: To connect with health care providers surrounding chronic illness issues. Hospitals from every sector (for-profit, non-profit, and government) must pay attention to this reason closely:

“… older adults are more likely to be living with a chronic disease, and those living with these diseases are more likely to reach out for support online”

Health-care providers must be prepared for an ever increasing demand to connect digitally. Houses of worship must pay close attention to REASON 2 as well. This trend means there will be an increase in the number of your members who will seek spiritual support online — in addition to hospital clergy visits — when dealing with chronic illnesses.

REASON 3: Four Words: Bridging Social Capital Group

“Bridging social capital … refers to the building of connections between heterogeneous groups; these are likely to be more fragile, but more likely also to foster social inclusion.” (Schuller, Baron, & Field, 2000)

“Refers to cooperative connections with people from different walks of life, more valuable than ‘bonding social capital’.” (Edwards)

Under reason three the Pew report states:

social media bridges generational gaps. While the results can sometimes be messy, these social spaces pool together users from very different parts of people’s lives and provide the opportunity to share skills across generational divides.

This is the MOST important reason of the three listed because it will have the greatest impact on the evolution of our species. Social media platforms — generally and twitter specifically — not only bridge generational divides, but ALL geographic and socio-economic divides, too. The magnitude of REASON 3 becomes apparent with a little use of deductive reasoning and a syllogism.

Syllogism: A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

Premise 1:  The more diverse a bridging social capital group becomes, the better equipped they will be to solve problems. (Supporting documents: Groups of Diverse problem solvers can outperform groups of  high-ability problem solvers, Diverse Backgrounds and Personalities Can Strengthen Groups, The logic of diversity )

Premise 2: There has NEVER been a more diverse bridging social capital group than twitter in the recorded history of our species. In the same digital space you will find NASA astronauts, World Leaders, celebrities, #Indiana Geeks, Baseball greats and early technology adapters from all over the world mingling together In Real Time. The diversity of this platform will only increase in scope because at its core twitter is a text based platform that can be accessed over basic cell phones. This means there are Four Billion twitter ready devices in use at this moment in time.

Conclusion: Better solutions will arise and innovation will be super-charged as more people enter twitter’s digital space and hopefully work together to solve problems.