( CNN ) -- It 's often assumed that older people generally are n't very digitally savvy -- but new research from Pew indicates that older people are becoming about as skilled online as younger ones . According to the 2010 Generations report from the Pew Internet and American Life project , `` The biggest online trend ( we found ) is that , while the very youngest and oldest cohorts may differ , certain key internet uses are becoming more uniformly popular across all age groups . '' The study found that internet users aged 34 and older are more likely than those age 33 and younger to engage in several online activities , including visiting government sites and getting financial information online . These online activities are becoming more uniformly popular across all age groups : e-mail , search engines , getting health information , following the news , researching or making purchases ( including travel reservations ) , online banking , supplying reviews or ratings , donating to charity , and downloading podcasts . And get ready : Your grandmother might soon try to friend you on Facebook . Even though younger people are significantly more likely to use social networking services , Pew reports that `` the fastest growth has come from internet users 74 and older : social network site usage for this oldest cohort has quadrupled since 2008 , from 4 % to 16 % . '' Some online trends are creeping down the age ladder , too . According to Pew , it used to be mostly older adults who searched for online health information . But now this has become `` the third most popular online activity for all internet users 18 and older . '' Wireless net access is definitely not the exclusive province of youth . Like the recent iPass mobile workforce study -- which put the median aged of a mobile-enabled worker at 46 -- Pew found that 55 % of people aged 46-55 access websites or other digital media or services via a laptop , cell phone , or other internet-connected mobile device . That figure drops to 46 % for people aged 56-64 , and 33 % for people aged 65-73 . The bottom line is , do n't assume you know how digitally savvy someone is based on their age . That octogenarian sitting across the Starbucks from you might be using Firesheep to sidejack your Facebook account right now .
New research from Pew focuses on generational trends in the digital world . Research found people 74 and older have the fastest growth in social networking services . Comment: