science

Silver surfer (internet user)

Silver surfer (internet user) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Silver surfer (internet user) rather than just read about it. In short: Silver surfer refers to the population of elderly individuals who utilize the internet on a consistent basis. History Silversurfers is the term widely used in the UK, Australia and some other English speaking countries to describe people who are aged over 50 and who use the internet on a frequent basis.

Key takeaways

Silver surfer (internet user) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Silver surfer (internet user) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Silver surfer (internet user) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Silver surfer refers to the population of elderly individuals who utilize the internet on a consistent basis.

History Silversurfers is the term widely used in the UK, Australia and some other English speaking countries to describe people who are aged over 50 and who use the internet on a frequent basis. The number of older users has increased dramatically over the past several years due to their being more accustomed to the technology. It has been determined that this age group uses the internet on average four hours more per month than the age group 18–24, and spend a majority of their time using search engines and online shopping sites. Other sources indicate that this growing trend among the older population is due to the increase in use of social networking sites to stay in touch with family members or close friends that live far away. Studies point to Skype, Facebook, email, and instant messaging are all highlighted as commonly used, mainly because the means for communicating have become more available and free. The amount of Silversurfers using the internet in the Uk is now estimated to be over 18 million in 2023 with about 9 million of them using Facebook. The website Silversurfers.com www.silversurfers.com is the largest online community for the over 50s in the UK with over 1.5 million members and followers. While the rise in internet use among the younger population has led to fears of isolation, it is argued that the increase in use for the older population has done the exact opposite. A study was conducted that surveyed over 8,000 individuals over the age of 50 on the extent of their social-networking use. The results showed that individuals who used the internet more consistently were 1/3 less likely to be depressed. Depression for this age group is argued to arise from lack of mobility and feeling out of touch, but the ability to keep close contact has reversed this phenomenon – internet use is thought to increase avenues of communication and feelings of independence. A separate study analyzed the brain function of individuals after using the internet for a week, and found that it improved nerve function in the older group. In the UK, the government's Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the percentage of pensioners aged 75 or over who had recently used the internet had increased from 19.9% in 2011 to 40.5% in 2017, and to 47% by 2019. Amongst younger pensioners (between 65 and 74 years old), the proportion who had recently used the internet had increased over that time from 52% in 2011 to 77.5% in 2017, and to 83% by 2019. Over the same time period, the usage figures changed little for the most active sector of internet users (adults aged 16 to 44 years).

References

Further reading Aldridge, Emma (2008). How to Be a Silver Surfer. Age Concern. ISBN 978-0-86242-438-1. http://www.iweek.co.za/On-the-cover/Rise-of-the-silver-surfer/

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Silver surfer (internet user)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Silver surfer (internet user) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Silver surfer (internet user) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Silver surfer (internet user) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Silver surfer (internet user)

In research: Silver surfer (internet user) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Silver surfer (internet user) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Silver surfer (internet user) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet stubs, Old age, Sociology stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Silver surfer (internet user) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Silver surfer (internet user) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Silver surfer (internet user) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Silver surfer (internet user) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Silver surfer (internet user) in simple terms?

Silver surfer refers to the population of elderly individuals who utilize the internet on a consistent basis. History Silversurfers is the term widely used in the UK, Australia and some other English speaking countries to describe people who are aged over 50 and who use the internet on a frequent b…

Why does Silver surfer (internet user) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Silver surfer (internet user)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Silver surfer (internet user).