This week see's the launch of Spring Online with Silver Surfers' Day - a digital inclusion campaign that aims to get more older people using t'internet. To celebrate, we've put together an infographic celebrating the Silver Surfer and showing why Grandpa's cooler than many give him credit for. Just read on to see our infographic and to find out more about tech-savvy older people and what they're doing with their broadband …
Just how tech-savvy is the average Silver Surfer?
Older internet users might have been dubbed 'Silver Surfers' because of their greying locks, but like the Marvel hero, they're whizzing around the web at lightning speeds. According to research we released late last year, older internet users are so tech-savvy that they’re putting younger folk to shame … • 72% of over 55s claim to understand basic internet jargon - like bandwidth, Wi-Fi, router and download - compared to 61% of 16-24s. • Less than1% of Silver Surfers try to use Twitter as a search engine - unlike 7% of 25-34s • Less than 1% of Silver Surfers have emailed their bank details to a friend - compared to a less respectable 3% of 25-34s • Fewer than 1% of Silver Surfers try to use a normal screen like a touchscreen - unlike an embarrassing 7% of 24-34s • Just 1% of Silver Surfers have tried to attach a dongle to their TV aerial - compared to a cringeworthy 8% of 25-34s.
Our infographic: 10 reasons why your grandpa is cooler than you
We thought we'd mark the start of Spring Online by celebrating the older gent. And you can see our infographic below. He's online dating, streaming, shopping online and playing Angry Birds - and representative of your tech-savvy Silver Surfer. Not bad, eh? 
And we've not forgotten Gran …
Silver Surfers aren't just men. Loads of older women are taking to the web-waves too. You might have thought that older ladies would never swap their bingo dabber for online gaming but our research has shown that just over 24% of women over 55 like playing bingo online. But they're not alone - 50% of 16-24 year olds play too. Erm … eyes down ladies. And that's not all. According to Mintel, a massive 55 per cent of older women are logging on to Facebook and Twitter regularly. Even though they might tag their grandkids in the odd embarrassing snap, using social media to stay in touch with friends and family can only be a good thing - especially as Race Online stats show that 11% of over-65s always or often feel lonely.
Older people and digital exclusion:
According to Race Online, 8. 2 million people in the UK are digitally excluded - and 39% are over 65. What’s more, Martha Lane Fox - the UK's Digital Champion - has said these older people are unfairly missing out on communicating more with friends and family, and from saving cash with money-off promotions. As Plusnet is a Race Online partner, we've been helping to show some older first-time internet users how to make the most of t'internet and cheap broadband. And you can help too. Everyone in the UK's being encouraged to spend an hour showing older people how to make the most of the net. You can find out more and sign up to be a digital champion at RaceOnline2012.org.