Centenarian Twitterers prove technology not just for the young

September 10, 11:01 AMInternet ExaminerKindall Nelson

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Internet Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

If you have ever heard someone dismiss the Twitter craze due to their age, then you might want to point them in the direction of these two ladies. Ivy Bean and Florence Hasegawa don't give age a second thought when logging on to their Twitter accounts.

IvyBean104 is a resident of a retirement home in Britain. In the last week she has been covered by CNN as well as several other smaller news networks. What is all the buzz about? She turned 105 this week. At the time this was published, she had 42,800 followers.

GrandmaFlorence is (only) 101 and lives in Hawaii. When she discovered Ivy Bean, she requested that Ivy follow her on Twitter and then reported to her own followers, "Oh, Ivy (104) and I are following each other. Ivy's 3 years my senior. I could use a big sister."

Ivy sent a tweet earlier this week commenting that many of her friends living at the center with her, had taken computer classes and would love to have computer and access (in response to a follower offering laptops to the center). While some sources state that Ivy originally signed up for Twitter and Facebook as part of a Best Buy PR stunt, IvyBean104 still continues to post updates and gain more and more media attention (without references to Best Buy or their Geek Squad).

Florence Hasegawa, of Lahaina Maui Hawaii, lists herself on her Twitter page as "101 years old and healthy". Her tweets are interesting and honest and make her followers want to know more about her and her life. A few of her most recent tweets include:

"My family keeps putting food on my plate they think I want. I put it all back because I prefer serving myself!"

"We need to have a yard sale. My house is like a cemetary of unnecessary things my family stores and never comes back for."

Hasegawa worked for the State Health Department as a marriage license issuer for 70 years before retiring in December of 2008 at the age of 100. She is known by everyone on the island as a joyful and happy woman. She has survived her husband, two children, two grandchildren, many neighbors, her doctor and her dentist, yet she still only takes prescribed medications when she is ill, which is rare.

Hasegawa has even inspired a production called "My Mama Monologues" where men, women, and children from around the world are invited to send in true stories about their mothers. The stories are read by playwright, Pat Masumoto (her daughter), and a select few are performed on Mother's Day every year.

Take a moment, Twitterers and head over to their pages and follow them. These women deserve a little of your time and you will be glad you did.

Check back soon or subscribe to Kindall Nelson's email alerts above for updates on this and similar stories. (Your email address will not be shared.)

Note: Permission is granted to include short extracts of this article on websites and email lists with a link to this page (the original). This article has a copyright © and should not be reprinted in its entirety without the author's permission.

More from this author:

America has nothing on Ukraine's Got Talent

Reporting 'fishy' health care reform email; what does Obama really want?

Five ways to maximize freelance writing income