“Overall, nearly 50% of Facebook users in the US today are over 35, and nearly one-fifth of all US Facebook users are over 45. Most of America’s biggest brand advertisers are working with Facebook now, and it’s clear that they’re reaching users across the age spectrum.”

While the total number of users still shows that 18-44 is the greatest population on Facebook, these growth rates clearly show that we’re past the point of making any age-generalizations about users.

It’s important to remember that people allocate their time based on received value.  Whether 55-65 year old users are connecting with old friends, getting updates on their grandkids, or using it for work, clearly they are finding real value, and we can expect their style of participation to expand as they discover new features, applications and utility there.

As Clay Shirky says, “these social tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring.“  With these growth rates, the technology is getting boring (meaning it’s not complex, frustrating, or an obstacle) quickly, and we can expect to see even more interesting social uses of Facebook for these demographics very soon.

Any observations about how the 45-65 demographic is participating on Facebook in your world? How are you using Facebook to reach this segment of your community?