Overview

Cast a glance at any coffee shop, train station, or airport boarding gate, and it is easy to see that mobile access to the internet is taking root in our society. Open laptops or furrowed brows staring at palm-sized screens are evidence of how routinely information is exchanged on wireless networks. But the incidence of such activity is only one dimension of this phenomenon. Not everyone has the wherewithal to engage with “always present” connectivity and, while some may love it, others may only dip their toes in the wireless water and not go deeper. Until now, it has not been clear how mobile access interacts with traditional wireline online behavior. Does availability of mobile access crowd out desktop access? Does it draw some users further into digital lifestyles?

The role of mobile internet access in evolving digital lifestyles is the cornerstone of the second typology of information and communication technology (ICT) users developed by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.¹ The typology places ICT users into 10 groups and, notwithstanding variation across the groups, the groups fit into two baskets, with the groups’ collective judgments on mobility being the pivot point.

1. Motivated by Mobility: Five groups in this typology – making up 39% of the adult population – have seen the frequency of their online use grow as their reliance on mobile devices has increased. For these groups, growth in frequency of online use is linked not only to increasing broadband adoption, but to positive and improving attitudes about how mobile access makes them more available to others. Across the groups, a lot of variation exists regarding what these changes mean to users. Some find this extra connectivity a platform for self expression. Others are not entirely positive about ICTs’ impacts on their lives.
2. Stationary media will do: The remaining 61% of the adult population does not feel the pull of mobility – or anything else – drawing them further into the digital world. Across the five groups that make up this part of the population, several have a lot of technology at hand and have seen their tech assets grow in recent years. Yet ICTs remain on the periphery in their lives, suggesting that some adult Americans reach a plateau in their technology use. Some groups are content with this distant relationship to technology. For others, even a little modern gadgetry is too much.

For 39% of the adult population, mobile and wireline access tools have a symbiotic relationship. Mobile users typically have ready access to high-speed connections at home, which likely pushes them toward deeper home high-speed use; the digital content found on the mobile device may prompt more activity on their broadband-enabled big screen at home. At the same time, the desktop internet experience migrates to “on the go” as the handheld becomes a complementary access point to connect with people and digital content wherever a wireless network reaches.

The five groups reliant on stationary media tools show no growth (or declines) in the frequency of online use even though more of them have broadband access. They show low levels of use of mobile applications and decidedly tepid attitudes about ICTs. In other words, 61% of the adult population have a settled disposition toward ICTs and – whether they experience information overload, difficulties in getting gadgets to function, or frustration when the cell phone rings – are not rapidly becoming more active users of ICTs.

Although the groups in the two baskets share common patterns with respect to mobile ICT uses, each group has a distinct disposition toward ICTs. Some are contentedly and deeply engaged with ICTs, others mainly use traditional applications on the wireline internet to carry out tasks, while some keep modern gadgetry and services at arm’s length.

As in the Project’s first typology, this year’s typology revolves around people’s relationships to ICTs in three areas:

• Assets (the gadgets and services they have);
• Actions (what they do with what they have); and,
• Attitudes (what they think about how ICTs fit into their lives).

The second typology is based on a December 2007 survey of 3,553 American adults. The typology has a longitudinal element to the analysis, as it uses a callback survey of 1,499 respondents from our 2006 typology that has been integrated into the 2,054 newly-interviewed respondents in December 2007. Although the current typology, through the callback element, builds on the 2006 typology, the user groups we identify in this typology differ from the ones developed from the 2006 survey. That is, while some groups in this typology may bear some resemblance to ones from the 2006 typology, the 2007 groups do not map backwards to 2006 groups or represent how any 2006 group has evolved in the 20 months between surveys.² The longitudinal data does, however, come into play in tracking people’s attitudes toward their ICTs over time.

The following table summarizes how the groups use ICTs and group members’ attitudes about them, and the Summary continues with more detailed sketches of the groups and a discussion of the report’s implications.

Digital Collaborators: 8% of adults use information gadgets to collaborate with others and share their creativity with the world.

For many Digital Collaborators, digital information is input into a creative process that often involves others and whose output they share with the world using the web. Members of this group can almost always get access to the internet, whether that is with an “always on” broadband connection or with an “always present” mobile device. With such robust connectivity, Digital Collaborators share their thoughts or creative content with others.  Using blogs and other content-creation applications, they collaborate with others online to express themselves creatively. For Digital Collaborators, the internet can be a camp, a lab, or a theater group – places to gather with others to develop something new.

This pattern of active and continuous information exchange puts ICTs at the center of how Digital Collaborators learn, work, socialize, and have fun. Most play games on electronic devices, with half playing games on the internet. At least occasionally, most of them watch TV on a device other than a traditional television set. And one-quarter have avatars that let them participate in virtual worlds. The typical Digital Collaborator is in his late 30s and has had years of online experience to hone his skills to get the most out of ICTs. 

Ambivalent Networkers: 7% of adults heavily use mobile devices to connect with others and entertain themselves, but they don’t always like it when the cell phone rings.

Digital information flows through handheld devices and social networking sites for Ambivalent Networkers as they have seamlessly integrated these cutting-edge resources into how they connect with others. With a handheld device at the ready, Ambivalent Networkers stay in touch with their family and friends and gather intelligence about what is going on in the world. They are the most frequent cell phone texters of any group. While some message content might be about current affairs, a portion is undoubtedly about culture, as Ambivalent Networkers will watch videos or listen to music using online access tools, mobile or otherwise.

While they welcome the connections to people and knowledge that easy access opens, Ambivalent Networkers don’t always like a knock on their door. Like Digital Collaborators, frequent information exchange is a key part of Ambivalent Networkers’ profiles. Unlike Digital Collaborators, they sometimes struggle with traffic volume. They are less likely than average to enjoy the extra availability enabled by mobile devices and less certain than Digital Collaborators about whether ICTs offer them more control over their lives. Most Ambivalent Networkers say they think it is a good idea to take a break from using the internet. Nonetheless, they are confident in their ability to manage gadgets and would be hard pressed to do without mobile access.

Media Movers: 7% of adults use online access to seek out information nuggets, and these nuggets make their way through these users’ social networks via desktop and mobile access.

Media Movers create and manage a steady stream of information throughput using a range of devices. The typical Media Mover, a mid-30s male, may have a knapsack full of devices such as a video or digital camera ready at an instant to record something and, before long, send it along to a friend or post it online. Such social uses for ICTs draw most of the attention of Media Movers; for them ICTs aren’t principally about improving personal productivity or doing their jobs.

The cell phone might be the hook that draws this group closer to digital tools and activities. Although Media Movers are less active mobile users than the previous two groups, they are far happier about the cell phone’s presence in their lives than Ambivalent Networkers. Media Movers are more likely than average to use their cell phone for functions such as texting, taking pictures, or playing games. Media Movers’ attachment to their cell phone has deepened over time, whereas similar such attitudes about the internet have not changed.

Roving Nodes: 9% of adults use their mobile devices to connect with others and share information with them.

Picture a Roving Node as a woman in her late 30s who is rarely without her smart phone, often using it to chat, but also checking email or fielding a text message. When she gets home or back to the office, she is frequently online, keeping up with email or surfing the net to get news or shop. This group is highly dependent on ICTs, and this dependence comes about from using ICTs to manage busy lives and stay in touch with others. Unlike the groups above, Roving Nodes are more hubs of information flows than sources of digital content. They are heavily reliant on all their ICTs for communicating and gathering information, but Roving Nodes are much less likely than preceding groups to blog or manage their own web pages.

Roving Nodes are happy when the cell phone rings, which sets them apart from Ambivalent Networkers. Although they like how gadgets help them share their ideas with others, it is not likely that a blog or an update to their webpage will be the means to do this. Give Roving Nodes email access, a browser, and a cell phone, and they are off connecting to others and passing information along the network.

Mobile Newbies: 8% of adults lack robust access to the internet, but they like their cell phones.

A typical Mobile Newbie, who is about 50 years old, is a novice with modern ICTs, but is wading into the waters thanks to a new cell phone. The Mobile Newbie might have gotten the phone because she thought it would be a handy tool for staying in touch with others or perhaps even for safety reasons. The cell phone is the device that is generally a Mobile Newbie’s introduction to modern ICTs; nearly all have one and many got it in the past year. Just four in ten use the internet. When the cell phone buzzes, they are pleased to answer. Mobile Newbies will also occasionally send a text message or snap a picture with their handheld device. Over time, they have found the cell phone more to their liking, while the internet remains an infrequent part of their daily rhythms.

This group is collectively new to the internet, having only gotten access about two years ago. Usability of information technology may be an issue here. Most in this group say they need help setting up new devices and services. But they seem nonetheless attached to their cell phone, as most would find it hard to give up – a sentiment that has grown over time.

These five groups make up the 39% of American adults who make up the basket of groups we call “Motivated by Mobility.” The profiles of the other 61%, the “Stationary Media Majority,” start here.

Desktop Veterans: 13% of adults are dedicated to wireline access to digital information, and like how it opens up the pipeline to information for them.

This group consists mostly of veteran online users (mostly men) who enjoy going online to check email and get news. Desktop Veterans are enthusiastic about how this lets them stay in touch with others and learn new things. They even share some of what they find online through blogs (either their own or a group blog) and by posting comments online.

However, they have yet to venture into the world of mobile access on a handheld, at least to any great extent. Desktop Veterans are average in terms of cell phone adoption, but well below average in their use of non-voice data applications such as text messaging or wirelessly browsing the internet. They use the cell to make phone calls, but even then the cell phone takes a backseat to their reliance on the landline for calls. Collectively, Desktop Veterans have the feel of a very tech-oriented group – from 2004. They have high rates of broadband adoption and participate in the online commons, but they treat the cell phone as if it were equipped only with voice capability – like most cell phones circa 2004.

Drifting Surfers: 14% of adults are light users – despite having a lot of ICTs – and say they could do without modern gadgets and services.

This group of adults has a fair amount of online experience (8 years) but, in spite of high home broadband adoption, they are infrequent users of the internet. Digital information is not at the center of how they get information, keep in touch with people, or do their jobs.

Although they rely about equally on their landline and cell for phone calls, they don’t find the extra availability afforded by cell phones very alluring. Like Desktop Veterans, they haven’t bothered to exploit other uses of cell phone, save to swap an occasional text message. Unlike Desktop Veterans, Drifting Surfers do not have strong attachments to the internet. Drifting Surfers are much less likely than Desktop Veterans to say ICTs help them learn new things, do their jobs, or keep in touch with others. They would not find it hard to give up their cell phone, and the typical Drifting Surfer found it easier to give up the cell phone in 2007 than 2006.

Information Encumbered: 10% of adults feel overwhelmed by information and inadequate to troubleshoot modern ICTs.

For the Information Encumbered, the pipeline of digital information is increasingly a burden. This group of (mainly) men in their mid-50s has the means and experience to engage with the information superhighway. Three-quarters have a cell phone and half have high-speed at home, and the typical member of this group has been online since about 2000. But half feel the weight of information overload, which is the highest of any group in the typology and an increase since 2006. Nearly two-thirds need help in getting their technology to work.

Beyond a sense that modern ICTs are worthwhile ways to keep in touch with others, the Information Encumbered do not credit the internet or cell phone with any improvement in their personal productivity or how they do their jobs. Some of their attitudes toward ICTs – such as worries about information overload – have worsened over time. Whereas Drifting Surfers and Desktop Veterans either like or tolerate gadgets and the modern flow of information, this is not the case for the Information Encumbered.

The Tech Indifferent: 10% of adults are unenthusiastic about the internet and cell phone.

For the Tech Indifferent, modern gadgets and services are too much trouble with too little payoff. This group is twice as likely to have a cell phone as online access, but they use neither service very often. The Tech Indifferent are, as a group, older than the others and seem to have established patterns of getting information or staying in touch with family and friends that do not rely on modern Tech.

The Tech Indifferent don’t see modern gadgetry as a tool for having more control over their lives, and, when they adopt a new device or service, they generally need help getting it to work. With many in this group saying they feel information overload and fewer saying they like how ICTs make them more available to others, there is little reason to think that many in this group will ever embrace modern ICTs.

Off the Network: 14% of adults are neither cell phone users nor internet users.

Although members of this group currently lack online access and a cell phone, some have had past experience with these technologies. Perhaps the computer stopped working and they were uncertain why or how to go about fixing it. Maybe the cell phone plan became too expensive or an “Off the Network” group member used it so little she decided to cancel service. They are the oldest and least affluent group in the typology.

Most “motivated by mobility” groups have positive and improving attitudes about cell phones, while remaining groups have tepid and deteriorating attitudes about them.

A key factor in sorting the 10 groups into two baskets is how they feel about cell phones. Those groups in the “motivated by mobility” basket have positive and improving attitudes about cell phones, as measured by the share of cell users in each group who say it would be “very hard” to do without cell phones. All of the “motivated by mobility” groups share two characteristics:

• They have a majority of cell users who say they would find it very hard to give up their mobile device. 
• The share in each group saying it would be very hard to give up their mobile device has grown in the 2006 to 2007 timeframe.

In the “stationary media majority” groups, none has a majority of cell users saying it would be very hard to give up their cell, and all have seen a decline in the twenty months between our tech-user surveys in the share of people saying they would find it very hard to give up the cell phone. The table below summarizes these points.

Overall:

• 66% of those in the “motivated by mobility” groups report that it would be very hard to do without their cell phones.
• This contrasts sharply with the 21% figure for the “stationary media majority” groups.
• “Motivated by mobility” groups collectively showed an improvement in cell phone attitudes by 20% from 2006 to 2007.
• Again, in stark contrast, the “stationary media majority” groups collectively saw a 64% decrease in attitudes about cell phones from 2006 to 2007.

Deepening attachment to digital resources – wired and wireless – means connectivity is for many users now about continual information exchange.

For many in the “motivated by mobility” groups, a multiple platform world creates a virtuous cycle with respect to digital resources: “Always on” broadband draws them down a path of digital engagement that “always connected” mobile access deepens and accelerates.

Some 31% of adults say that very frequent information exchanges over high-speed wires and mobile devices are cornerstones of their digital profiles. These are the adults in the following groups: Digital Collaborators, Ambivalent Networkers, Media Movers, and Roving Nodes.

The bar for what qualifies as high-tech among users has risen.

In the Pew Internet Project’s first typology, tech-oriented users were generally those who had broadband at home. This typology largely abandons that dichotomy with its focus on people’s attitudes and use of mobile devices and applications. In the past, having tech gear such as broadband at home generally placed people on the cutting edge; that is no longer the case in this edition of the typology. Our new study shows that mobile connectivity is the new centerpiece of high-tech life.

That means that two groups who used to seem high tech seem less so nowadays. They are the Desktop Veterans and the Drifting Surfers. They make up 26% of the adult population, and they have broadband adoption rates of about 80%. But their occasional use of mobile applications and decidedly lukewarm attitudes toward them leave them off the cutting edge.

The “penalty” for having little or no access rises in a multi-platform world.

As a large portion of the online population gravitates to wireless and mobile access to supplement their home high-speed wired connections, the supply of and demand for online content increases. Institutions – whether governments or news organizations – have greater incentives to optimize their services to be consumed online. More people have greater opportunity to share their advice, creativity, and observations online.

Recent research argues that exclusion from (or low levels of engagement with) the network of people and information found online is more costly than in the past.³ In this typology, four groups making up 42% of the population have both below average levels of broadband and uses of mobile and online resources. Those groups are Drifting Surfers, Information Encumbered, Mobile Newbies, and Off the Net.

Overview

In the early 1980s, Americans started spending more time on the telephone. From 1980 to 1987, the number of minutes spent on the phone increased by 24%, three times the rate of population growth. At first, the reasons first seemed mysterious. Yes, fax machines were entering the workplace and the personal computing revolution was getting off the ground, both of which might have spurred growth voice traffic. But these factors were thought to account for no more than 10% of the growth.

The cause? The telephone answering machine. Although just 28% of homes had answering machines for their telephones in 1987, these new devices meant once-missed calls were returned and now-completed calls encouraged more phone calling.

This episode shows how relatively small changes in society’s technology portfolio in one area can have significant impacts in a related one. The answering machine served as an accelerant in to Americans’ existing calling patterns.⁶

In a similar way, mobile internet access is drawing people into more frequent online use. The information nugget initially discovered on the handheld device might prompt a user to open the laptop at home to explore further. Conversely, the fascinating blog post discovered on the desktop at home might be pursued further on the mobile device on the train to work and then taken along new pathways once online at the office.

This finding that mobile internet access is drawing people further into the digital world is the cornerstone of the Pew Internet Project’s second typology of information and communication technology (ICT) users.⁷ Some five groups in this typology – making up 39% of the adult population – have seen the frequency of their online use grow as their reliance on mobile devices has increased. Across those groups, there is a lot of variation on what these changes mean to users. Some find this extra connectivity a platform for self expression. Others are not entirely positive about ICTs’ impacts on their lives.

Then there is the other 61% of the adult population who do not feel the pull of mobility – or anything else – further into the digital world. Across the five groups that make up this part of the population, several have a lot of technology at hand and have seen their tech assets grow in recent years. Yet ICTs remain on the periphery in their lives, suggesting that some adult Americans reach a plateau in their technology use. Some groups are content with this distant relationship to technology. For others, even a little modern gadgetry is too much.

Building the Typology

The first Pew Internet Project user typology was constructed from a survey conducted from February 15 to April 16 in 2006. The survey for this typology was conducted from October 24 to December 2, 2007, about 20 months later. The second typology of information and communication technology (ICT) users builds upon the first in two ways. First, the same three pillars have been used to build the typology: users information assets, the actions they perform with the technology, and attitudes they have about the technology.  In both surveys, respondents were asked whether they owned certain kinds of technology such as cell phones, broadband at home, MP3 players, digital cameras, video cameras, desktop computers, laptops, and others. Then they were asked what activities they performed and some of the activities-list questions were the same in both surveys. At the same time, we changed the list of online activities so that it covered some of the core topics that matter to the Pew Internet Project. For instance, people were asked whether they get news, health care information, and political news online in the 2007 survey, while these were not asked in the 2006 survey.

The 2007 survey also probed people’s use of their cell phones in ways different from 2006. In 2006, respondents were asked about the various capacities (e.g., to take a picture or record video) with some follow-up questions on whether they actually used those capabilities. In 2007, we asked more directly whether cell users had ever done a list of 10 actions on their cell phone and whether they had, on the prior day, done a given activity.

Most of the attitudinal questions from 2006 were repeated, such as measures on how people like the extra availability enabled by mobile devices, whether they need help with new gadgets and services, as well as questions about how difficult it would be for them to give up various ICT devices and services.

Second, the 2007 typology builds on the previous one through a callback survey of 2006 respondents. The 2006 typology survey contacted 4,001 respondents. The 2007 typology has 3,533 respondents drawn in part from a random digit dial survey of 2,054 adult Americans conducted from October 24, 2007 to December 2, 2007. Over the same time period in 2007, 1,499 respondents from the 2006 survey were contacted a second time.

It is important to underscore, however, that the 2007 typology is built solely on survey data from December 2007 – not the callback data. By looking at change in representative samples time – especially the groups’ attitudes toward mobile devices – we can state our key conclusion with confidence: Some groups are especially motivated to use technology by mobile connectivity because we see an improvement in attitudes about cell phones and associated increases in digital engagement.

The Typology and Longitudinal Analysis

The callback survey permits longitudinal analysis of respondents in the 20 months between the two surveys. This allows examination of what has changed, as far as information technology is concerned, in the lives of a broad sample of 1,499 Americans between May 2006 and December 2007. At a more granular level, combining longitudinal analysis with the typology’s classification of users offers a perspective on how change plays out across the typology’s groups.

Small changes generally, interesting variations when comparing the groups

Over the 20 months between the surveys, American adults in general acquired more ICTs, which in turn drew many of them deeper into internet use and fostered greater engagement with mobile devices. At the same time, there were in the aggregate only small changes in how people view ICTs’ impact on their personal productivity or on their competence in dealing with gadgets. Here are some illustrative data points, using data from the callback survey that contacted 1,499 adult Americans in 2006 and 2007. Because the respondents to the 2007 callback survey are a subsample of the sample of 3,554 adults used to build the typology, some of the percentages reported for the callback sample differ slightly from the sample used for the typology.

With respect to technology assets:

• Cell phones: In 2006, 73% of adults had a cell phone, a number that grew to 79% in 2007.
• Broadband at home: In 2006, 44% adults had a high-speed connection at home, a number that increased to 56% in 2007.
• Laptop computers: 31% of adults had a laptop in 2006, and 36% had one by the end of 2007.
• MP3 players: 19% of adults had an MP3 player or iPod in 2006 and 26% had one in 2007. 

For activities with their ICTs:

• Going online “yesterday”: In 2006, 68% of online users said they had gone online the previous day; that figure grew to 74% in 2007.
• Going online from home: In 2006, 47% of internet users reported going online from home about once a day or more often. That number grew to 54% in 2007.
• Downloading music: In 2006, 23% of internet users had ever downloaded music, a number that rose to 30% in 2007.
• Paying for digital content: 22% of internet users had paid for digital content in the 2006 survey, compared with 26% in 2007.
• Downloading video: 18% of online users had ever downloaded a video from the internet in 2006; that number increased to 22% in 2007.

Accompanying the increase in cell phone and laptop adoption is a greater range of uses for them. In 2006, 27% of email users said they used their laptops to check email, a number that rose to 32% at the end of 2007. Among those who watch TV on a device other than a traditional television set, 44% used their laptop for this in 2007, up from 10% in 2006. Overall, 19% of adults had watched TV on a non-TV device in 2007, a growth from the 12% 2006 number.

For listening to the radio, although about the same share listened to radio programming on a device other than a traditional radio in 2007 and 2006 (about 25% in each year), how they did this changed. More used a laptop for this in 2007 than 2006 (by a 33% to 17% margin) and more used a MP3 player (30% in 2007 versus 17% in 2006).

Similarly, more people used their cell phones to take pictures or record video. Among those who take digital photos (a number that grew from 40% to 49% over the two surveys), 8% used their cell phone in 2006 and 22% used their cell phone in 2007 to take digital photos. For those who record their own video (a figure that declined from 26% in 2006 to 23% in 2007), more did this on a cell phone in 2007 than in 2006 by a 10% to 2% margin.

Changes in attitudes were more modest, with only people’s perspectives on ICT-enabled connectivity showing an increase of any magnitude. Somewhat more ICT users said they liked the additional availability that cell phones and other mobile devices allow them. In 2007, 76% agreed “a lot” or “somewhat” that they liked the additional availability, up from 71% in 2006. Other measures were unchanged. About the same number of gadget users said they needed help with new devices in 2007 as 2006 (48% and 47%, respectively), and the same pattern held true for the share saying they thought gadgets made them more productive (61% in 2007 and 60% in 2006).

Additionally, there were little or no changes in people’s attitudes about whether ICTs help them do their jobs, learn new things, or share their ideas and creations with others. Only for “keeping up with family and friends” was there any change, and it was not large. Some 81% of ICT users in 2007 said they agreed “a lot” or “somewhat” that their gadgets and services help them stay in touch with family and friends; this number was 77% in 2006.

Nonetheless, people were more likely in 2007 to say it would be “very” or “somewhat” hard to give up their cell phones or the internet. For cell phones, 69% of cell users said this in 2007, up from 61% who said this in 2006. For the internet, 74% of internet users said this in 2007 compared with 68% in 2006; for email, the figures were 73% and 69%, respectively.⁸

Within group variation

At a high level, there is a gentle deepening of people’s relationship to cyberspace, a moderate growth in welcoming its connectivity, and a growing reliance on mobile devices. Within the typology groups these patterns are more variable. The patterns within groups enable us to place the ten groups in the typology into two baskets that share key commonalities.

• Motivated by mobility: For five of the typology’s ten groups, or 39% of the adult population, growth in frequency of online use is linked not only to the growth in broadband adoption, but also to largely positive and improving attitudes about how mobile devices make them more available to others.
• Stationary media majority: For the remaining four typology groups with modern ICTs (and, by default, the fifth group that lacks internet or cell access), the internet and mobile access do not play much of a role in their lives. And that disposition isn’t changing for people in these groups, even for those in several of the groups that have experienced growth in broadband adoption. These groups comprise 61% of the adult population.

Groups that are motivated by mobility show an increase in frequency of internet use from 2006 to 2007, which is also accompanied by greater reliance on their mobile devices. These groups say it would be very hard to give up their cell phone. In the 2007 sample, they also record high levels of use of their cell phones for non-voice data applications such as text messaging and internet browsing. The five groups reliant on traditional media tools, even in the face of growing high-speed adoption at home, show no growth (or declines) in the frequency of online use, low levels of use of mobile applications, and decidedly tepid attitudes about ICTs.

Although the groups in the two baskets share some characteristics, each group makes a distinct imprint with its disposition toward ICTs. Some could love them or leave them, others couldn’t do without them, and others would rather do without them, but don’t.

Digital Collaborators: 8% of the general population

For this group, cyberspace is a place for group collaboration and shared creative effort. This group has the greatest number of information gadgets of any group, the widest scope of online activities, and the most frequent internet habits. All this connectivity helps them share something of themselves with others – often as part of a group, and often something they have created. By large margins, this group is most likely to participate in group blogs and most likely to share a personal creation using the internet. Indeed, Digital Collaborators strongly feel that ICTs are a great way to share their ideas and creation with the world.

Assets

Digital Collaborators have a wealth of technology to delve deeply into digital life. Nearly all have broadband at home and cell phones (96% in each case). Roughly three-quarters have laptops (78%) and MP3 players (71%). In addition to having a laptop and cell phone, most (91%) have a desktop computer as well. In fact, 69% have both a laptop and desktop at their disposal. Members of this group score highly on other measures of media tools. Fully 96% have digital cameras, 77% have video cameras, and 73% have digital video recorders. 

 More than three-quarters (78%) of Digital Collaborators have laptop computers, twice the average of 37%.

Another key asset is experience; this group has the most years of online experience, with the typical user saying he has been online for 12 years.

Actions

This group is heavily engaged with digital content – consuming it, but also sharing it with others and using it as a means for expression. The center of gravity for this deep relationship to digital content is the laptop computer with its ability to connect to the internet wirelessly. As noted, 78% of Digital Collaborators have laptop computers and 72% have used their laptop to go online wirelessly from someplace other than home or work.

As much as this group consumes digital content, it is also very distinct in what it does with digitized information. They create and share it at rates much higher than members of other groups. More than half (54%) of Digital Collaborators have shared some sort of creation with the world using the internet and the same number have posted a comment to a blog or website. One-quarter (27%) have blogs and 24% have taken online material and remixed into some other form. Some 44% have their own web page, and nearly one-fifth (18%) have created an online avatar or graphic image of themselves.

Handheld access forms another element of this group’s profile, although several other groups are equally as active in using a cell phone for non-voice applications. On a typical day, 59% of those in this group with cell phones do at least one of ten non-voice data applications, such as texting or taking a picture (a full list of non-voice data activities asked about can be found in the Appendix). For Digital Collaborators, handheld applications are oriented toward traditional information consumption and exchange. Members of this group are most likely among all adults on the average day to use their cell phone for email (18%) and accessing the internet for information (21%). And members of this group are most likely to have ever used their handheld to get directions or a map (29% have ever done this).

Another sign that this group is oriented to laptops and new media is its predilection for watching TV programming on non-TV devices. More than half (57%) of all Digital Collaborators have done this, against the average of 20%. Of this group, half (50%) have used a laptop to watch television programming. That is above the average of 39% for all those who watch TV on a device other than a traditional television set.

There is also ample evidence that this group uses digital content for entertainment and as a way to consume media traditionally delivered in other ways. Fully 82% of Digital Collaborators say they get some news online on the typical day and the same share (82%) has listened to radio online or using a device other than a traditional car or home radio. These figures set this group apart from others. Members of this group are also likely to play games online – 48% do. That is twice the average and similar to figures for two other groups.

Attitudes

This group’s active profile with respect to online content adds up to highly positive attitudes about information technology. Nearly all (94%) say information and communication technology (ICT) helps them learn new things and 95% say it helps them “a lot” to keep in touch with family and friends. Strong majorities say ICTs help them a lot to do their job (84%) and share their ideas or creations with others (79%).

When asked how hard it would be to give up different devices or services, 86% of this group said the internet would be “very hard” to do without. That is nearly twice the average (45%) for the sample and a dozen percentage points higher than any other group. This attachment to the internet has a lot to do with email; 81% of this group say they would find it very hard to give up email. Finally, some 61% of Digital Collaborators say they would find it “very hard” to do without their cell phone, which is above the average of 51% but on par or trailing several other groups in the typology. Just one-quarter (26%) say they would find it “very hard” to do without their landline telephone.

Digital Collaborators also are highly likely to believe ICTs give them more control in their lives and see them as a pathway to greater personal productivity. Fully 91% say they believe information technology helps them have more control over their lives, and 83% agree strongly that ICTs allow them to be more productive. Three-quarters (73%) like the extra availability that the internet and cell phones enable, and 55% strongly agree that it would be hard for them to get information without all their gadgets (twice the rate for the entire sample).

Finally, Digital Collaborators feel confident in their ability to deal with their gadgets and the quantity of information those gadgets deliver. Just 7% say they need help in setting up new gadgets, and only 12% say they feel overloaded by information.

Changes from last time

Of the 273 respondents in the 2007 survey that make up the Digital Collaborators group, 116 were contacted both the 2006 and 2007 surveys.

Most Digital Collaborators saw advances from already-high levels of gadget ownership; e.g., digital camera ownership increased from 90% to 98% and home broadband adoption grew from 86% to 97%. Ownership of MP3 players also rose, from 50% to 65%, as did ownership of laptop computers, from 69% to 77%.

These changes are associated with somewhat more frequent online use, as the share of re-contacted Digital Collaborators who say they use the internet several times a day rose from 59% to 65%.

The increases noted seem to suit Digital Collaborators just fine. The share saying they would find it very hard to do without the internet grew from 83% to 86% over the 20 months between surveys, and the share saying they like the extra availability brought about by ICTs increased from 65% to 73%. Fewer in the group reported suffering from information overload; just 6% said this in 2007 compared with 17% in 2006.

Demographics

This group has more males than females (56% are men) and the median age is 39. The group has a lot of online experience (about 12 years as noted above). It is both well-educated (61% are college graduates) and well-off (30% live in households with annual incomes over $100,000. The racial composition is close to that for all adults in the United States. Most (73%) are married, half (51%) have minor children in the home, and 70% are employed full time.

All in all, a typical Digital Collaborator fits the profile of a young adult, many married with children, and most putting their college degrees to work in the labor force. They earn more than the average American and have more than their share of ICTs at home or in their pockets.

Ambivalent Networkers: 7% of the general population

Ambivalent Networkers have folded ICTs into a lifestyle that relies a lot on mobile devices to connect socially with others or to entertain themselves. They do the most of any group when it comes to non-voice data applications on their cell phones and connect often wirelessly when they are not at home or work. Ambivalent Networkers are into social networking sites and are infrequent television watchers. When they do sample traditional media – radio or TV – it is likely to be done using a newfangled device such as a laptop or MP3 player.

Yet, perhaps because ICTs are so integrated into their lives and because of their youth, this group does not herald the upside of ICTs at a very high rate. Though well-equipped for mobile connectivity, Ambivalent Networkers are not enthralled by the intrusions this connectivity may create. Ambivalent Networkers like how gadgets let them stay up socially with others, but do not see them as central to their productivity.

Assets

This group has more ICT gadgets and services than average, with a tilt toward devices that can be taken on the go. Just about all (99%) have cell phones, and two-thirds have laptop computers (65%) and MP3 players (64%). Many use web cameras on their computers (24%) and most (74%) have digital cameras. A strong majority (85%) have broadband internet connections at home. The typical member of this group has been online for 9 years, just behind the average of 10 for all internet users.

Actions

Ambivalent Networkers have steady online habits, but are very active when it comes to using their cell phones for a range of things beyond making phone calls. Some 44% of this group go online at least several times a day, a bit above the 36% average and probably indicative more of their high rate of broadband adoption than anything else. They click over to YouTube while online (35% watch a video online on a typical day, just more than twice the average) and half get news online on the average day, compared with the 37% average for all online users.

But it is their use of their cell phone or other handheld device that sets Ambivalent Networkers apart from others. Some 22% in this group have personal digital assistants, which is twice the average. On a typical day, 66% of those in this group do at least one of ten non-voice data activities on their cell phone. This is the highest figure for any group. They are the most frequent users of text messaging (52% do this on the typical day) and many use their cell phone to take pictures (27% on the typical day). One-third (33%) have used their cell phone to listen to music and a similar number (35%) have played a game with their handheld device. And one in five (19%) have watched a video on their cell.

With their online behavior and very active cell phone use, traditional media is pushed aside for many in this group. Only 24% of Ambivalent Networkers say they watch television every day, far behind the national average for adults of 79%. When they do watch TV, they may not use a television set; some 48% in this group have watched TV programming on a non-TV device, more than twice the average.

Since half (49%) of this group has logged onto the internet wirelessly while away from home or work, it is not hard to picture a Ambivalent Networker in a café, laptop open, taking advantage of a free wireless connection, and watching a YouTube video. Perhaps, since 91% of this group rely on their cell phones for all their calls, they would be chatting on the phone and sharing the fun in the YouTube clip with a friend.

For Ambivalent Networkers, their online and mobile activities are a platform for social networking and sharing content with others. Some 54% of Ambivalent Networkers say they have a profile at a social networking site (SNS), the highest of any group, and well above the average of 33% for internet users in this sample. One-third (31%) in this group share digital content with others, and 29% post comments on websites. Both figures are above average and trail only Digital Collaborators as a group. Many in this group have their own blog (25%), which is twice the average for internet users and roughly the same as Digital Collaborators.

Attitudes

Ambivalent Networkers see ICTs as a convenient tool for connectivity with other people, but this does not translate into expressions of heavy reliance on the various gadgets and services they have. Members of this group strongly agree that ICTs are a great way to stay in touch with family and friends; 84% say this, trailing only Digital Collaborators in the typology and above the 65% average for the sample. Two-thirds of this group (66%) strongly agree that ICTs help them learn new things, above the average of 52%.

Yet members of this group are not particularly enamored of how ICTs make them more available to others; 31% agree strongly that they like this extra ICT-enabled availability, below the sample’s average of 47% and near the bottom for all groups. And a majority (52%) of Ambivalent Networkers says it is good to take a break from using the internet (ten percentage points above average), and just one-quarter (25%) say they would find it hard to get the information they need without their gadgets. That figure is about average (which is 27% for all gadget users), but the lowest among any of the tech-oriented groups.

Ambivalent Networkers also do not strongly associate gadgets with productivity – either personally or on the job. Some 38% agree that ICTs help them be more productive and 47% say it helps a great deal with their jobs. Although these figures are bit higher than the average, they are lower than those registered for several other tech-oriented groups.

In spite of these sometimes tepid attitudes toward ICTs, Ambivalent Networkers feel strongly about their cell phones. Some 60% say they would find it very hard to do without their cell phone; by contrast just 9% say they would find it very difficult to give up their landline phone. Given that 91% of Ambivalent Networkers make most of their calls on their cell phones, this gap is not a surprise. The internet is the next toughest thing for this group to give up; 48% say it would be very hard to be without the internet, a figure that is on par with the entire sample. As noted, this group is not heavily into television viewing, and just one-third (32%) say it would be very difficult to give up their TV, which trails the 43% average.

Changes from last time

Very few respondents among Ambivalent Networkers in the 2006 survey responded to efforts to contact them again. In fact, only 17 people in this group of 221 were in the sample of callback respondents. This likely has to do with this group’s reliance on their cell phones; the 2007 survey had cell phone numbers in the sample (25% of the 2007 respondents were interviewed on their cell phones) but the 2006 survey did not.

Demographics

This is the youngest of any of the typology’s groups; the median age is 29 and half of Ambivalent Networkers are adults under the age of 30. Its youth means many in this group are students (30%), and although 26% have college degrees, another 37% have had some college experience. The group has the fewest white Americans of any in the typology (67% versus 75% for the entire sample), and 11% are blacks, while 14% are English-speaking Hispanics.

This group has the smallest share of rural Americans of any in the typology (just 10%, about half the national average), and 64% are employed full-time (against the 52% average among the sample of adults). It is heavily male, with 60% men in the group.

Media Movers: 7% of the general population

A clear sense from this group is that they come across information nuggets – by themselves or from others – that they then pass along to others. Media Movers have a wide range of online habits, whether that means checking the news, searching for health care information, or buying something online. Many participate in group blogs or maintain their own web page, and they use their cell phones to text or snap a picture.

Media Movers do not see ICTs as key parts of their personal productivity, but as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. For them, these aren’t just email missives about what they are up to, but also the link to the article or video that members of this group think their social networks might enjoy. This might result in a call from a friend to their cell phone to chat about it, and Media Movers are more likely than not to welcome the intrusion.

Assets

This group rates second (behind Digital Collaborators) in the most number of information appliances. It has a relatively strong orientation to desktop computing, as 91% of Media Movers have one, a figure matched only by Digital Collaborators, and 46% have laptop computers. The figure for laptops trails prior groups significantly, as those groups have 78% and 65% laptop ownership, respectively. Media Movers also have a lot of picture-taking capacity; 87% have digital cameras and 66% have video cameras. Not surprisingly, nearly all have cell phones.

87% of Media Movers have a digital camera, and it is one device that helps them share information with other.

As to online experience, the typical Media Mover has been online for 10 years, which is right at the average, and 84% have home broadband connections.

Actions

Media Movers have a wide, if not particularly deep, portfolio of digital behaviors. Roughly one-third (31%) go online at home several times a day, which trails the average by 5 percentage points, and 34% do so from work, which also lags the average. When asked about a range of online activities that they have ever done, this group exceeds the average, but when focusing on activities done on the typical day, they are only on par with the entire sample of internet users.

Relative to their internet behavior, Media Movers are more involved with their cell phones. Some 57% in this group do at least one non-voice data action using their cell phone on the average day compared with the 36% figure for all cell users. They are active texters (45% send or receive a text message on the average day), and 31% have recorded video on their cell phone. That figure surpasses the 18% average for cell users and places this group at the top in terms of frequency of doing recording video with a cell phone.

Some 58% of Media Movers say they take their own video (using whatever device), and this figure far exceeds the 22% average and is matched only by Digital Collaborators. They are also into digital photography; 81% take digital photos, with three-quarters sharing them over email and 31% posting them to the internet.

This group’s engagement with video and digital photography suggests they like to manage information online. For some, this can manifest itself in blogging (17% of this group say they have one) and through web pages. Some 24% of Media Movers have their own web page (against the 14% average and the second highest figure in the typology behind Digital Collaborators), and 21% work on group web pages or blogs, again the second-highest figure across typology groups.

Attitudes

Media Movers are content with what ICTs do for them. Two-thirds (67%) like how cell phones and other gadgets make them more available to others, and three-quarters (74%) like how ICTs help them keep up with family and friends. Few (15%) need help in setting up their new information gadgets.

Yet this contentedness falls short of the enthusiasm about ICTs’ affordances expressed by some other groups. About half (49%) think ICTs grant more control over their lives, which is average but half the rate at which Digital Collaborators say this. A majority of Media Movers (53%) also say it is good to take a break from the internet, 11 points above the average.

As to which gadgets would be difficult to give up, the cell phone rates the highest for this group. Some 52% say they would find it very hard to give up their cell phone, a large gap over the internet (33%). Media Movers also have a notably large difference between the rate at which group members say it would be very hard to give up the internet (33%) versus email (17%). As active managers of digital content, this group has a greater attachment to the internet for those purposes than for a communication function such as email. And it could be that sharing content, which also often allows users to add a note of text to it, helps diminish the importance of email for Media Movers. For communicating with their social networks (and 46% of this group has an online social networking profile), the cell phone is likely the main tool.

Changes from last time

The callback survey yielded 75 respondents among Media Movers who were also contacted in 2006. This subsample showed a large increase in broadband adoption at home, from 63% to 88%, but not a commensurate increase in frequency of internet use at home. One-quarter (25%) of Media Movers went online at home several times a day in 2006, while 32% said this in 2007. Yet the growth in broadband adoption did yield some changes in information consumption. More Media Movers downloaded video in 2007 than 2006 (25% to 11%) and more paid for digital content online (27% to 16%). Three times as many in this group had watched TV programming on a non-TV device in 2007 than 2006 (24% to 8%). Finally, more Media Movers were taking digital photos in 2007 versus 2006, by a 81% to 57% margin.

In spite of these changes, the attitudes of Media Movers about information technology remain mixed. The share of those saying it would be hard to do without the internet stayed about the same (29% in 2006 and 31% in 2007) and in fact there was an increase in the share saying they suffered from information overload (from 25% to 32%). There was also a drop in the share of people saying that ICTs help them be more productive; 39% agreed a lot with this proposition in 2006 and 25% said this in 2007.

Only the mobile device fared well. Half (51%) of Media Movers in 2006 said they liked that devices such as the cell phone made them available to others; that number grew to 60% in 2007.

Demographics

The Media Movers group is the typology’s second youngest group of adults, with a median age of 34, and 56% are men. Beyond its youth and tilt toward males, it is demographically much like the general population of adults. Its racial composition basically mirrors the general population and this group has about the same share of college graduates as the entire sample (32% for Media Movers versus 29% for the sample).

Differences from the norm show up in income and family life. Because it has a lot of young people, group members are more likely to be parents of minors – 51%, compared to 33% for the sample. The group is also better off economically than the entire sample. Some 56% of Media Movers report household incomes over $50,000 per year, compared with the average of 39% for the sample. The group is the most heavily suburban of any group, with 55% living in the suburbs, and 70% are employed full time, the highest (along with Digital Collaborators) of any group.

Roving Nodes: 9% of the general population

Roving Nodes are ardent users of the internet and mobile devices, and consume a lot of digital content for the purpose of passing it along others. Typically, this is done through email – often on a desktop or laptop – but also through texting or emailing on a mobile device. Much of this information might be logistical, as this group is very likely to see ICTs as a way to do their jobs, connect with family and friends, and generally be more productive in their lives.

Roving Nodes love the gadgets they employ for keeping information on the move, but they use traditional applications to do it. They are no more likely than average, and less so than prior groups, to use social networking sites to mediate communication among their crowd. And they are not much into blogging or maintaining their own web pages. Give them an email program, browser, and a cell phone that can text, and they are off.