The Hyperconnected vs. 84% of Everyone Else on Earth

Two studies that crossed my screen tonight here in London point to a widening digital divide. I am not referring to the gap between those who are online and everyone else. The gulf I am addressing here is between those who are fully engaged with the web and, well, Earth.

The first piece of research from Parks Associates (via Dwight Silverman and CNET) reveals that one-fifth of all U.S. heads-of-household have never used e-mail. Based on the conversations I had in Europe this past week, this is even more pronounced outside the US where high mobile penetration makes things a bit more complicated to track.

Meanwhile, a separate white paper from IDC/Nortel (via Jackie Huba) - this one spanning 17 countries - found that 16% of the information workforce is already "Hyperconnected" and that another 36% will be joining us soon. Definitely download the PDF. It's an interesting read.

Source: IDC/Nortel White Paper - The Hyperconnected: Here They Come!

All of this data is consistent with what Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff talk about extensively in their new book, Groundswell. If you play with Forrester's Technographic profile tool, you can zero in on just how wide the divide is within your target audience. They peg 52% of the US online population as largely passive.

Net, this leaves me convinced that despite all of the buzz around the growth of new media and/or digital advertising, neither will replace existing modalities for some time to come. Yes, Scoble, that's why Google News still rules. Digital media is going to be additive in the near to medium term. However, in a decade - perhaps sooner, perhaps later - it will be a different story.

The data bodes well for businesses like the TV nets that live off the 30-second spot. Some have written the :30 off for dead. However, that's a bit premature.

The challenge for traditional media companies and the advertising ecosystem that support them is that static advertising is no longer a growth businesses. This will become particularly true as the number of Hyperconnected skyrocket. However, for now, old still co-exists with new.

The takeaway for marketers is to utilize all of the relevant venues/tactics as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy (the same goes for PR). Ignoring something because it's old school doesn't always make sense.

Comments

[Thomas Hawk]

great post Steve!

[Louis Gray]

And of course, there's a segment of the "hyper-hyper-connected" who end up being the most engaged and active in the Social Media space. I'd venture it's about 0.1%.

[Amanda Chapel]

Love when your assessments are stone cold sober. It is important to evaluate this stuff sans hype and that's hard... especially coming from a PR firm gold mining there.

Anyway, a key aspect you fail to factor in is the quality of connection.

Regards,

- Amanda

[Michael E. Rubin, Blog Council]

Hallelujah. What these studies point out, more than anything, is that there is still a great deal of work to be done to educate and promote social media usage for real people.

It's also a fantastic opportunity for real people to crack open and break apart the A-list mentality for good. As much as A-listers like Scoble ... and yes, you Steve ... like to protest the contrary, the A-list does exist in the social mediaverse.

Let's can the hype and get the real work done.

[Art Sindlinger]

good points to consider and very useful links - thanks

[Joe Buhler]

For those of us in the 16% of what could be called the "super-connected" it's worth considering what the implications of these numbers are on how business in many segments is conducted and not get too self absorbed in what often is more hype than substance.

[Mrinal]

These findings are hopefully an eye opener for the many in Silicon Valley! Need for Help and transfer of knowledge aka "ebay for information" is going to be critical!

[Rex Hammock]

I would comment on this, but why? Marshall McLuhan said everything there is to on this topic a half-century ago.

The introduction of a new media is like discovering we have a new human sense -- would we give up one of our current five senses if, say, we suddenly discovered how to flip on telepathy? McLuhan (and I apologize I'm not doing him justice) talked about new media in terms of it adding new notes to the musical scale -- not in terms of it "replacing" something.

I'm a new media junkie, but I differ from many "pundits" who over-focus on the notion that something "new" is going to kill something "old." Print, radio, TV will be around long past me. And they will find a place in any new reality created by digital and networked media.

We don't ride horses and carriages anymore, but on Saturday, one horse -- one horse -- sold for $50 million. The car has been around over a century and no one uses buggies for transportation. By now, you would think horses would only be in zoos.

I'll stop there. Too many metaphors for one comment.

[Marcelo]

Very interesting Post, steve. Congratulations!

Marcelo

[Ontario Emperor]

Google News? What's that?

My mom emails me articles that she finds on AOL.

I haven't even explained Twitter or FriendFeed to her, and why should I?

[Kathy]

Thanks, Steve, esp for the PDF. I keep telling folks that in the short run -- and maybe long run -- that a multi-channel strategy is essential. But there are lots of folks who seem to want to wait and see on social spaces.

These data also reflect my experience in teaching "digital natives" -- they aren't all engaged, and the range of engagement remains very wide.

[Laurent]

I'm convinced there is something after "hyperconnected", and it does not show on our radars yet. It's "overloaded", people who get fed up with being connected all the time, and who start pushing technology back away from them.

[Steve Rubel]

@Laurent - Totally agree. See what I have written in the past on the Attention Crash.

[the threebillion project]

Digital media people beware. Not all people are like you, in fact they are few and far between. Technology allows you to find likeminds, but connectivity is not infectious.

[Charlie Anzman]

Old will always co-exist to some extend with new. It's all about who gets a significant audience and whether or not 'the audience' gets the truth, or hype for ratings.

[Graeme Thickins]

so, one-fifth of the U.S. population doesn't have email...

why am I sure they don't miss it, either?

[seo pixy]

Thank you for the interesting read, it's surprising how many people are so far away from social media!

[seo pixy]

Thank you for the interesting read, it's surprising how many people are so far away from social media!

[kraloyun]

Good news

thank you for the informations

[Lindy Dreyer]

But don't you think the new media world is influencing the way everyone--even people who don't use the internet--perceive marketing? So while we definitely can't through out any "old school" tactics, we should probably re-think the strategy behind those tactics.

[Lindy Dreyer]

Meant to say "throw out" not "through out" hehee.

[Dr. Otto VanDerWahl]

I believe that social media is just a small transitional phase to another plain of existance. Those who grow attached to it, shall perish with it.

[Dan Thornton]

Reading the source, is it really that shocking that people who tend to be older, and with limited education, don't tend to use computers/email/twitter etc?

I'd also put money on the fact that that same segment generally works in manual jobs which don't require any use of email.

But I bet a lot of them live in a household where the younger members of the family not only access the internet regularly, but act as a conduit for information to enter the home.

I'd also like to see the study compare email usage with mobile and text usage. If you work in a manual profession, you'll be more likely to use mobile access to any service during your lunch break than fire up a desktop when you get home...

[kraloyun]

Good news

I hope everybody read this article.

Thank you for informations.

[S. Neil Vineberg]

"Net, this leaves me convinced that despite all of the buzz around the growth of new media and/or digital advertising, neither will replace existing modalities for some time to come."

Steve, I totally agree. And I think on the PR side, it's going to be years before new social media tools and tactics gain real and sustainable traction and replace current approaches, especially in slow-adopter sectors (and outside the Bay Area, most are).