With all the various forms of smartphones and laptops entering our lives, it sometimes seems like the Internet is becoming a part of us: The connection is always on, and information is always just a click away. It turns out, though, the majority of Americans don’t feel that mobile electronics are tethering them to the digital world — in fact, most adults see the devices as being distant and unimportant parts of their lives.
A new report by the Pew Research Center attempts to categorize people into 10 different types of tech users. You could call it a kind of astrology for the digital age: a set of memorably named designations that tell you your preferences and personality when it comes to the electronic world. (Sorry — no “heavenly bodies” involved in this pseudo-science.)
Grab your charts, then, and see if you can figure out your modern-day “sign.” Here are your options:
Digital Collaborators
Digital Collaborators are described as users of mobile gadgets for collaborating and sharing creativity. The Internet is a key part of this process, and these people always have access to it at their sides in some form. Blogs and community forums are like bread and butter to these modern-day socialites, and wireless devices are a central part of their work and personal lives.
Total amount of population: 8 percent
Ambivalent Networkers
Ambivalent Networkers use mobile devices as much as the Collaborators, but they also find them slightly intrusive. These folks love having handheld devices ready to connect them to friends and deliver them information, both news-related and culture-oriented. They’re all about the text messages, too — but they also resent the idea of always being available and become annoyed by regular ringing and disruptions.
Total amount of population: 7 percent
Media Movers
The Media Mover is less active on wireless devices than the past two groups, but he’s still attached to his cell phone in a serious way. This guy (or gal) loves the social aspect of mobile tech and is likely to wirelessly pass along photos and videos during the day. Unlike the Ambivalent Networker, the Media Mover doesn’t resent the nonstop presence of high-tech tools in his life.
Total amount of population: 7 percent
Roving Nodes
The Roving Node relies on her mobile device for meaningful connections. Less likely to deal with digital media or the art of blogging, the Roving Node likes using technology to keep up with e-mails and maybe get into the occasional chat. To her, a cell phone is a tool for managing a busy life, and interrupting rings are welcomed diversions.
Total amount of population: 9 percent
Mobile Newbies
The Mobile Newbie, as the name suggests, is new to the wireless information world. He likes his cell phone but doesn’t do many intensive Internet-related tasks on it. Text messaging or cell-taken photos are a rare and novel occurrence. In general, the phone has become an important part of the Newbie’s life, though the Internet still really hasn’t.
Total amount of population: 8 percent
Desktop Veterans
The Desktop Veteran is all about the information, but he’s less likely to make mobile computing a part of his life. This person uses the Internet from a tied-down system to keep up with news and send e-mail, maybe even blog or take part in comment forum discussions. The D.V. probably has a cell phone, but uses it mainly just for calls. Text messages aren’t a regular part of the vocabulary, and most Desktop Veterans would rather pick up a landline to make a call if they had the choice.
Total amount of population: 13 percent
Drifting Surfers
Considered a “light user” of mobile technology, the Drifting Surfer doesn’t spend much time on the Net and doesn’t care much about mobile connections. He’s had Internet access for a while, but he uses it rarely — even at home. On the go, the cell phone is seen as a use-when-needed voice communications device. A typical Surfer would just as soon give up his cell phone as keep it.
Total amount of population: 14 percent
Information Encumbered
The Information Encumbered adult is overwhelmed by modern technology and unable to pull off even basic troubleshooting. Wireless devices and even the Internet in general are more of a burden than a blessing for these people. They might see the technology as a nice added option for keeping in touch, but its value ends there: The Information Encumbered don’t see modern tech as having any significant effect on their lives.
Total amount of population: 10 percent
The Tech Indifferent
Sliding even lower on the scale of tech love, the Tech Indifferent are described as completely “unenthusiastic” about the Internet and cell phones. They might have the stuff, but they rarely use it — and when they do, they need plenty of help. The Tech Indifferent aren’t interested in adopting mobile devices and probably won’t be anytime in the future, either.
Total amount of population: 10 percent
Off the Network
The final grouping, the Off the Network Crowd, is completely disconnected when it comes to modern technology. They don’t have cell phones or Internet access and don’t care. They might have had one or the other in the past, but when either something stopped working or the bills started to seem too unreasonable, they let it go without ever looking back.
Total amount of population: 14 percent
So…What Are You?
I’m proud to say I’m a certified Digital Collaborator. (And yes, I’ve already ordered new business cards with that designation.) To be fair, the majority of PC World readers are likely to hit that category or the one below it, but we’re obviously a skewed (though quite charming) sample of the population.
Think you know which kind of user you are? Good — now, find out for sure. Click here to take the Pew Center’s interactive quiz (it only takes a minute or two to complete), and let us know where you rank. If you can’t figure out how to make the cotton-pickin’ page work — well, I think we know which category is yours.
Connect with JR Raphael on Twitter (@jr_raphael) or via his Web site, jrstart.com.