Pew Internet & American Life Project researcher Amanda Lenhart reports in Adults and Social Network Websites that the number of adult Internet users who have taken up social networking has more than quadrupled since 2005. (Chart from USA Today.) This isn't surprising if you consider the way conversations have moved toward social media as a marketing tool in lieu of a mere social connection with friends.  Networks have properties that defy traditional linear ways of thinking about market reach and targeting users, so growth should follow exponentially. In October, another Pew researcher reported on how the Internet and cell phones have become central components of family life.  It's not possible to have digital connectivity central to family life without adults engaging in digital networks. We can think about media devices as a progression, using a lifespan approach to technology adoption.  First you crawl, then you walk....Cell phones may not be the first thing that comes … [Read more...]