Middle-aged and older adults (50 years or older) are increasingly adopting social media,
such as Facebook and Line, in Taiwan. However, as existing social media research
tends to focus on younger age groups, relatively little is known about how older adults
use various social media platforms. In order to fill the gap, this study takes a mixedmethods
approach by using both survey and in-depth interview data to explore the
motives, patterns, and impacts of different social media use among older adults. In
addition to family and friends’ encouragement, results show that the rise of smart
phone facilitates Facebook and Line adoption among older adults. Further, findings
show that Line helps older adults maintain relationships with stronger ties, which
may be beneficial for their life satisfaction. In contrast, Facebook supports connections
with weaker ties, which may help older adults expand their network size. Overall, the
findings suggest that different social media use may satisfy older adults’ different
social needs.