Home > Social Media for Older Adults: A Guide for Seniors

Social Media for Older Adults: A Guide for Seniors

Social media is a helpful tool for seniors looking to stay connected with family and friends during retirement. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow you to share posts, photos, videos as well as send messages and video chat. Learning how to use Facebook and other social media platforms can feel intimidating – but once you get started, it’s quite simple to navigate. This quick guide to using social media for older adults will get you started. 

Why Use Social Media During Retirement? 

For seniors, social media offers some great benefits for overall wellness, including: 

1. Keeping in touch with family. The most important benefit of social media for older adults is that it gives you a way to stay in touch and maintain your relationship with friends and family. Generations of family members can stay connected and engage with each other on a regular basis by checking in on Facebook, sharing photos and videos and making new memories. 
2. Staying involved with the community. Social media can provide an easy way to stay engaged with friends who may not live nearby or meet new friends to get the social interaction needed to thrive. Engaging with others and staying socially active offers numerous physical and mental health benefits. 
3. Research and learning opportunities. Social media tools provide a way to keep learning about topics that are interesting to you. As a bonus, you can interact with others who may be searching for the same information. 
4. Daily entertainment. Social media offers seniors a variety of ways to stay entertained, from watching video clips of your old favorite shows on YouTube to playing Scrabble with grandchildren via Facebook or other apps. 
5. Peace of mind for family members. By checking in regularly on Facebook, for example, you can provide loved ones with peace of mind through regular updates. This can be especially important for seniors who are living alone. 

For all these reasons, many seniors find that Facebook and other social media platforms are helpful tools for staying connected, learning new things and having fun. 

What is Facebook? 

Facebook is a social media network that allows you to share posts, photos and videos. You can view posts from your friends and family and “like,” comment on and react to the posts they share. It also includes Facebook Groups (a place to connect with others who share common interests and hobbies) and Facebook Marketplace (an online yard sale to buy and sell).

You can connect with your friends, follow local businesses and public figures and join groups based on your interests and hobbies. A great introduction to social media for older adults, Facebook is completely free and only takes a few minutes to sign up. You can use it on your phone or computer. 

How to Use Facebook

Knowing how to use Facebook is a helpful skill for seniors. To get started, go to or download the Facebook app on your phone. To create an account, you will need to type in your first and last name as well as your phone number or email, your birthday and your gender. You will also be prompted to create a strong password.  

Once your account is created, you can update your profile to share a little bit about yourself. This includes uploading a profile picture and sharing personal details (such as your hometown or where you went to school) if you’d like. How much information you share with others can be adjusted in your privacy settings. 

On Facebook, you can: 

• Add Friends – You can add someone to your friends list by sending them a friend request. Once they accept your invitation, you can view each other’s posts. 
• Share a Post – You can write a post, upload a photo or video or share someone else’s post with your friends. This will appear on their newsfeed. You can also share your post as a Story (see below for more on Stories). 
• “Like” and Follow Businesses – Want to see updates from your favorite local business or your retirement community? You can like their page on Facebook to see the posts they share. 
• Browse Your Newsfeed – This is where posts, photos and videos from your friends will appear.  
• Send Messages – Facebook Messenger allows you to exchange private messages with your friends, like sending a text. You can also create a group chat with multiple friends. 
• Add to Your Story – Stories are posts that are only are available to view for 24 hours before they disappear.  
• Check Your Notifications – Your notifications will pop up to alert you that someone has added you as a friend, shared something with you or reacted to something you posted. 

Facebook is a user-friendly platform that many seniors enjoy using to stay connected with family and friends. You can view more detailed instructions on how to use Facebook here. 

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social media platform focused on sharing photos and videos, including short videos called Reels, and Stories. Instead of adding other users as friends, you have the option to follow someone’s profile, and they can choose to follow you in return. Instagram is also completely free to use. In addition to following friends and family, you may find accounts focused on hobbies and topics you’re interested in, as well as your favorite local businesses. This choice of social media for older adults is great for those who prefer photos and videos to written posts.

How to Use Instagram 

To get started, download the Instagram app. While Instagram is available as a website on your computer, it’s designed to be used as an app as you will need your phone’s camera to share photos. Facebook and Instagram are now owned by the same company, Meta, so if you created a Facebook profile, you can use those same credentials to log into Instagram. If not, you will also have the option to create a new account using your email address or phone number.

Each user on Instagram must create a username, with this format: @yourusername. Some users keep it simple, such as their first name (Example: @FirstNameLastName33). Others have more creative names that highlight their personality (Example: @CrochetAndKittens1111) 

Once you create an account, you will have the option to add a few sentences about yourself to your bio page. Some users choose to have a public profile that is visible to everyone on the internet, while others have a private profile. This means you must give permission by accepting the follow request before anyone can view your photos and videos. Connecting to your Facebook account or synching your contacts can help you find your family and friends to follow their profiles. 

On Instagram, you can: 

• Follow Friends – Click follow on your friends’ profiles to start seeing their posts on your Home feed page. 
• Share a Photo or Video – These posts will appear on your followers’ Home feeds. You can add a single photo, a video or a carousel of multiple photos. Other features include tagging a friend featured in the photo by adding their username and editing the photo with a variety of filters. You can also tag your location. 
• Create a Reel – You also have the option to create a Reel with your video, adding a variety of music and effects. 
• Scroll Your Home Page – This is where you’ll see posts from accounts you follow. 
• Click Through Stories – At the top of the app, you’ll see circular profile pictures. If you click on these, you can tap through Story posts that are only available for 24 hours.  
• View the Explore Page – This page includes a selection of posts that Instagram thinks you might like based on your interests. These are typically accounts you don’t follow yet. 
• Send Messages – The messages tab on Instagram allows you to exchange private messages with your friends, like sending a text. You can also create a group chat with multiple friends. 

Instagram is a fun place for many seniors to share photos and videos as well as learn about topics they’re interested in. You can view more detailed instructions on how to use Instagram here.

Other Social Media Platforms 

While Facebook and Instagram are popular choices for social media for older adults, there are even more social media platforms to explore, including: 

• YouTube: A video-sharing platform that is a mix of social media and entertainment.  
• TikTok: An app for sharing short-form video content similar to Instagram Reels. 
• LinkedIn: A professional social media platform used for business networking. 
• Snapchat: A social media app used to send disappearing photos and videos that are only available to view for a short time. 
• Pinterest: A virtual vision board that allows users to find and “pin” ideas and inspiration for crafts, clothing and more. 
• X (Formerly Known as Twitter): A social media platform focused on sharing short text posts. 

Protecting Your Privacy Online 

While social media for older adults is a great way to stay connected, spending time on the internet can open you up to security risks and scams. To protect your information and privacy, follow these tips: 

• Use Strong Passwords: When creating a password, choose something long with a variety of characters that is manageable for you to remember without being too easy for online hackers to guess. Avoid using easily searchable information such as your hometown or birthday. And always write down your passwords and keep them in a safe location. 
• Be Careful What You Share: When using the internet, and especially social media, be mindful of the information you share. Never share private details such as your home address, phone number or financial information.  
• Be Wary of Scams: Unfortunately, many scammers online are looking to make a quick buck by deceiving people on the internet. Some might even send you a message pretending to be your family or friends.  
  • As a rule of thumb, be extremely skeptical of any person or message requesting gift cards or money, especially if they present it as an urgent need. If you receive a request from someone you know, give them a call or verify in person.  
  • Do not share personal or financial information, such as your social security number or credit card information, with someone who sends you a message online.  
• If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is. You can report suspicious activity or scams to the Federal Trade Commission here. 

Staying Connected with Social Media 

For many seniors, Facebook and Instagram are a great way to share with friends and stay connected with family. Remember to balance your screen time with quality, face-to-face time with those you love.  At Advent Christian Village, we foster a sense of community through classes, groups, concerts and events and other social opportunities. There’s something for everyone in every stage of life. You can learn more about us by following Advent Christian Village on Facebook and Instagram and learn about our latest events and activities.  

About Advent Christian Village 

Advent Christian Village is a faith-based community in Live Oak, Florida built on small-town values. Here, you can create your own lifestyle through a wide range of choices for housing and care while exploring opportunities to learn, serve and play. We offer a variety of housing options, from independent to assisted living, for every budget and phrase of life. You’ll experience a community where neighbors truly care for one another, and you can age with meaning and purpose.

Ready for a new kind of retirement in beautiful North Florida?  Call (386) 658-3333 and schedule a visit to Dowling Park to meet our team, learn more about our housing options and experience the many amenities our community offers.