Half of Americans Not Tech Savvy?And Don't Care
MBA (5/15/2007) Sorohan, Mike
Technophiles, brace yourselves: nearly half of adult Americans don?t care how tech-savvy you are?and your business will need to use more ?traditional? methods to reach them.
A report issued last week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that while the number of Americans who consider themselves ?elite? or ?moderate? users of technology has grown, 49 percent of Americans still have little or no use for the Internet?or even for cell phones.
The report found that just 8 percent of Americans are ?deep users? of participatory Web and mobile applications; another 23 percent are ?heavy, pragmatic, tech adopters,? who use gadgets to keep up with social networks or to be productive at work. Another 10 percent rely on mobile devices for voice, texting or entertainment; another 10 percent use information gadgets but find it a ?hassle;? and 49 percent of Americans only occasionally use modern gadgetry and ?bristle? at electronic connectivity.
?Those who want to generalize about where Americans stand with technology may obscure the true picture of the role of technology in American life more than illuminate it,? said John Horrigan, associate degree of research at the Pew Center and the report?s author. ?Some people may have lots of technology at their disposal, use it frequently and for a range of purposes, and like what technology does for them. Others may have relatively few of the latest gadgets, use what they have only modestly, and find that technology is more burden than blessing.?
The study classified respondents into 10 groups at varying levels of tech usage: ?elite users? (four groups), who are heavy and frequent users of internet and cell phones and are engaged with user-generated content; ?middle-of-the-road users? (two groups), whose outlook toward technology is task-oriented, some of whom find it satisfying and others who find it ?burdensome; and ?few technology assets users? (four groups), of whom modern gadgetry is at or near the periphery of their daily lives.
These groups break down into the following categories, the report found:
· Omnivores (8 percent): They have the most information gadgets and services, which they use voraciously to participate in cyberspace and express themselves online and do a range of Web 2.0 activities such as blogging or managing their own Web pages;
· Connectors (7 percent): Between featured-packed cell phones and frequent online use, they connect to people and manage digital content using ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies), all with high levels of satisfaction about how ICTs let them work with community groups and pursue hobbies.
· Veterans (8 percent): They are frequent users of the internet and less avid about cell phones. They are not thrilled with ICT-enabled connectivity.
· Productivity Enhancers (8 percent): They have strongly positive views about how technology lets them keep up with others, do their jobs, and learn new things.
· Mobile Centrics (10 percent): They fully embrace the functionality of their cell phones. They use the internet, but not often and like how ICTs connect them to others.
· Connected But Hassled (10 percent): They have invested in a lot of technology, but they find the connectivity intrusive and information something of a burden.
· Inexperienced Experimenters (8 percent): They occasionally take advantage of interactivity, but if they had more experience, they might do more with ICTs.
· Light But Satisfied (15 percent): They have some technology, but it does not play a central role in their daily lives. They are satisfied with what ICTs do for them.
· Indifferents (11 percent): Despite having either cell phones or online access, these users use ICTs only intermittently and find connectivity annoying.
· Off the Network (15 percent): Those with neither cell phones nor internet connectivity tend to be older adults who are content with old media.
The survey had 4,001 adult participants.
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