Anziani e social media : opportunità o minaccia?

Although several studies found that individuals' chronological age is negatively correlated with innovations' adoption, recent evidences show that older adults are the age group with the highest growth rate in the use of social networking sites. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the relationship between elderly and social networking sites - defined as online spaces in which individuals can create self-descriptive profiles and a network of personal connections - by reviewing contributions from psychological and marketing literatures. This study examines how the use of these tools can be a source of physical and psychological well-being for the elderly, helping them to cope with the social isolation and cognitive decline. At the same time, it addresses the issue of their accessibility, examining the barriers to the virtual inclusion of the elderly in the social media, and the threats related to their use. [Publisher's text].