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Failed Searches and Alpha Moms
Looking more carefully at people's behavior on the Internet can uncover surprises, sometimes calling into question basic assumptions—for instance, that most young people are adept at using the Internet. Conference presenter Eszter Hargittai, Northwestern University professor of sociology and communication studies, studied a diverse group of students attending the University of Illinois at Chicago and found that 43% failed on a search task, based largely on their misunderstanding of Internet terminology and on their inability to navigate links.
Hargittai reviewed research showing that people differ significantly in their understanding of various Internet-related terms and activities. For example, when asked to assess their own Internet know-how, women, African Americans, Hispanics and those with poorly educated parents report lower levels of knowledge than men or Asian Americans.
"Since such skills are not randomly distributed among the population, certain content providers and content users stand a better chance of benefiting from the medium than others," said Hargittai.
Li agreed, citing Forrester research on the range of behavior on the web, which is sometimes based on skill and demographics, while at other times linked more to a user's stage of life. So-called Alpha Moms "are comfortable with technology, interested in parenting, and have above-average incomes," said Li, "but they have no time. So if you're trying to reach them, you don't give them blogs. You give them communities of their peers with opportunities for feedback."
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To help companies target their Internet strategies, Li and Bernoff have organized Forrester research into a "social technology ladder," which classifies consumers based on their participation in various types of social networking. At the lowest rung of the ladder are the "inactives," some 44% of all U.S. American adults who were online in 2007. Higher up are the "joiners," the 25% who visit social networking sites like MySpace; collectors, an elite 15% who collect and aggregate information; and critics, those who post ratings and reviews as well as contribute to blogs and forums. Only 18% of all online Americans actually create content, publishing an article or a blog at least once a month, maintaining a web page or uploading content to sites like YouTube.
The power of such a classification lies in giving organizations a clear understanding of how consumers are behaving online, said Li. "Any successful strategy to tap into the groundswell has to begin with assessing customers' social activities. Then you can decide what you want to accomplish, plan for how your relationship with your customers will change, and finally decide what social technology to use."
Li is currently investigating why people move up and down this ladder of social technologies, and what are the levers companies can use to encourage consumers to act. It is critical for organizations to hone their understanding of groundswell activities, said Li, because "in five to 10 years, social networks will be everywhere."
Next: The New Black
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