People over 65 send spam and youth via WhatsApp, says specialist

Those who use WhatsApp believe that adult users are the ones who send the most spam or return more messages. However, this is a subjective and somewhat false view, from the point of view of a specialist who examines the messenger habits of the over 65s.

The messenger belonging to Facebook is the application that uses the most this age group. But the belief that they are "spammers Seriales "is a myth, according to Andrea Rosales, researcher at the Interdisciplinary Internet Institute of the Open University of Catalonia.

"Children and grandchildren often complain about re-sending images, sounds or other types of information, but it's about a perception subjective, "says the specialist, according to the site. ABC. And he adds that they do not do it more often than users of other generations.

"Sometimes our friends or other people nearby send content to third parties and we do not perceive them in the same way. we see everything that does not interest us as spam"He said.

In addition, the expert contradicts the reports stating that adult users are the ones who send the most fake news via whatsapp lack of ability to discern.

"It's not that they're more likely to viralize false news because they are older, but because they have reached the world of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) after the rest. Like everyone else, they need time to become familiar with and acquire digital skills, "said Rosales.

A report prepared by Rosales and focused on users in Spain indicates that people over 65 use an average of 17 times a day WhatsApp. And that the average population exceeds 26 times. In addition to this variable (which also focuses on this country), What are the differences between the habits of young people and those of adults when using this messenger?

According to the specialist, unlike younger people, older people "prefer to communicate important events or bad news" longer conversations by voice calls. "For them, the voice allows us to transmit and perceive emotions and to be more important," he says.

Finally, he points out that people over 65 are more correct in terms of spelling in their messages via WhatsApp. As for young people, they write more elaborately, with punctuation and accents.