20 • The Beacon September 24 , 2020

By Marianne Austin

Now more than ever , Baby Boomers are going online . Boomers are more likely to spend an hour or more a day online , according to a recent study by Forbes . Not all of them , but 82 % of Baby Boomers who use the internet regularly have at least one social-media account . About 75 % of Baby Boomers are on Facebook , and 35 % use business sites .

Boomers represent the 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964 . Boomers are between 56 and 74 years old . Following World

War II , the United States experienced a population increase when the men came home from the military .

The Forbes study found the Boomers age group was most concerned with security online , but they had fewer security issues to report , possibly because they limit what personal information they share . Boomers find the internet a good way to get the latest news with sources like social media and news websites . Online banking is another convenient internet use because many businesses offer paperless billing and check statements online .

Many utility providers offer online-payment systems for a convenient way to pay your bills at home or setting up a day each month for automatic payment withdrawals . Shopping online is another advantage for seniors . If you have a favorite store you like to shop at , chances are they have online shopping available . Using the search option , you can type in whatever you are looking for or browse a whole catalog in just a few minutes .

Social media lets

Collector Mike Falk loaned the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum more than 500 WWII propaganda posters for its current special exhibit . He will now share his expertise on Thursday , Oct . 1 at 6 p . m . on Facebook and YouTube .

​Posters were designed to instill pride , patriotism and confidence in the U . S . war effort . In this talk Falk goes

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jsellers @ alonovus . com beyond artwork and focuses , instead , on the messages conveyed and how they impacted the public . While he will only highlight 12 out of the 511 posters on display , viewers will not be disappointed . Each poster tells its own unique story about what was happening in the U . S ., Germany , China and Great Britain .

The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is located at 300 N . Whitewoman St . in Coshocton . Support for this program has been provided by Ohio Humanities , the National Endowment for the Humanities and

the federal CARES Act of 2020 . The Ohio Arts Council also helped fund this event with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth , educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans .

Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p . m . Every Sunday offers free admission to Coshocton County residents .

For questions or more information , call the JHM at 740-622-8710 , email jhmuseum @ jhmuseum . org or visit www . jhmuseum . org . seniors connect with family , friends and former classmates .

Beverly Lane said she uses social media the most and spends at least an hour and a half online every day .

“ I have Facebook family and friends that I haven ’ t seen in forever — friends from high school and my childhood . It ’ s one way to stay in contact ,” Lane said . “ My kids were online with their friends . My daughter Amber got me started . She told me to try Facebook . Hey , this is what ’ s going on . No one is getting any younger . Once you graduate from high school , you don ’ t realize that a lot of your friends you won ’ t see anymore . I check to see if anyone needs anything . I check on it a couple times a day . I check on friends , and I play games online . I like to shop , all kinds of shopping online : gifts , clothing , toys , electronics and household things I can ’ t find around here .”

Lane said she pays some of her bills online as well . “ If I can ’ t sleep , I get on at night ,” she said . “ I never thought I would be on as much as I am .”

Brenda Davis said she doesn ’ t do online shopping . “ I don ’ t know how secure it is ,” she said . “ I ’ m not computer savvy . I don ’ t order groceries or anything . I don ’ t order

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Now more than ever , Baby Boomers are going online . Boomers are more likely to spend an hour or more a day online , according to a recent study by Forbes .

clothes or shoes because I want to see them and try them on . My daughter orders our vitamins online for us .”

Davis said she is online every morning checking on her kids and friends and sending emails .

“ Last night my cousin was 16 miles from the hurricane ,” Davis said . “ They live at the inlet near Houston and Galveston , and they have cattle and livestock . I messaged them with prayers and kept checking on them . In the morning when I checked for a response , she said the storm came within 10 feet and stopped .”

Davis is on the computer for a couple hours in the evening watching ministries and prayer groups she is connected with .

“ I ’ m a little disenchanted with Facebook right now ,” Davis said . “ I check on my kids . I do research because I like to check things out for myself . I connect with cousins , friends from our other church . I minister and mentor to people online . Our son and daughter-in-law in Florida send videos of our grandson . We got to see him pull himself up and stand a couple weeks ago . She sends us pictures of him too . He will be a year old in September .”

When you consider online habits of seniors , the period they grew up in was television and computers , but newer technology like smartphones and tablets aren ’ t as common . There is a new generation of digital users , but some Boomers still prefer landlines to connect with people .