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Nugent says he wants to stay connected with his four daughters and grandchildren.

Mary Madden, senior research specialist at the Pew Research Center, says Nugent's reasoning is common.

A recent Pew survey found that people younger than 50 use social-networking websites to stay in touch with friends, and people older than 50 say they use them to connect with family, Madden says.

The number of seniors using social networking is rising. The Pew study out June 6 found that 33% of Internet users ages 65 and older used social-networking websites in 2011, compared with 13% in 2009.