Older users and digital archives

I was in a meeting today with (among others) Sue Thexton, visiting professor at Middlesex, who recently wrote a report for Skillset* about Digital Archiving. It includes this relevant paragraph: 

5.2.2 Older demographic of internet usage
‘Silver surfers’ are a large demographic that is potentially very attractive for archive holders. As internet penetration has [increased] the demographic profile has shifted towards older users. Nielsen//NetRatings data from April 2007 show that over 50s (who make up 41% of the UK population) now account for nearly 30% of all time spent on the internet. And over 65 ‘silver surfers’ spend more time online per active user, at nearly 42 hours per month, than any other age group. These are a group that would be very interested in interacting with and viewing archive material as it reflects their own life. But it’s not just the silver surfers that should be focused on, after all there is 70% of the internet users in this country are younger than 50. The technology allows archives to appeal to younger audiences too, to engage them more with history and also to work harder to appeal to a more culturally divers audience.

The complete report is at http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_12283.pdf?6

* Middlesex is a Skillset Academy.