Young adults flock to Web 2.0 services, and many say they can't live without them. But according to a new study, older Americans are using the internet to maintain their relationships too -- sometimes, just as much as the younger generation.

According to the study, conducted by the AARP and the Center for the Digital Future, 76 percent of Americans over 50 years old feel the internet is an important source of information for them, up from just over 50 percent five years earlier.

Perhaps the most surprising result is that older Americans are embracing social media. Among those 50 and older who are members of online communities, 58 percent log in to their communities once or multiple times a day, compared to 47 percent of users under 20 years old. Nearly 46 percent of users over the age of 70 said the internet helps them maintain social relationships, the same percentage as for adults under 50.

"The perception is that Americans over 50 only dabble on the internet, but we are finding that they are increasingly spending time online becoming involved in robust internet activities, such as online communities," said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC.

While the older generation is embracing social media and keeping in touch via the internet, not everyone is online yet. Another study earlier this year found that one out of five heads of household in the U.S. has never used email, and half of those were over 65 years old.