The role of technology continues to change.

New applications keep surfacing. Existing applications gain or lose momentum. Keeping abreast of these changes is among a marketer’s greatest challenges in this day and age.

Trone recently fielded a study of consumer technology use as a follow-up to research conducted in November, 2008.  Among the many findings was the fact that as the technology matures, consumer behaviors are becoming more homogenous. That is not to say that everyone’s use is the same, but the behavioral gap is narrowing. 

The “geek” factor is diminishing. 

Historically, the heavy contributors, those driving much of the content on the web, have been distinguishable by their comfort with the technology. In this latest study, a noticeable shift in their level of social expressiveness was observed. In addition to increasing their engagement level in activities like reading blogs (20%), contributing to blogs (30%) and wikis (32%) and utilizing instant messaging (14%), this group demonstrated an inordinately high degree of adventurousness and social expressiveness.

They were twice as likely to describe themselves as extroverts than the sample at large and more than twice as likely to say they enjoyed being in the limelight. Their passion for life was evidenced by the fact that they were 73% more likely to say they enjoy an adrenaline rush and 56% more likely to agree with the statement “experiencing the unknown is my idea of an exciting adventure.”

Change is occurring at both ends of the spectrum.

At the other end of the technology engagement continuum is a more introverted group whose participation has traditionally been limited. It is not that they’re not dependent on technology, we all are. They, however, have historically participated on an as-needed basis.

This group’s behavior has also evolved. They are beginning to look and act more like the technological mainstream. Driving this homogenization is the adoption of various applications, most notably social networking. Among those 30 years of age and older, participation in a social network has grown 63% in just eight months. Concurrently, professional networking has increased 33%. Not surprisingly, however, we’ve also witnessed a decline in the frequency of network site visits as the application attracts less-committed participants.

Twitter℠ plays a unique role.

One might think that the appeal of Twitter and other new applications to those on the leading edge of technology adoption would prevent the observed homogenization from occurring. Twitter is clearly generating (and disseminating) more buzz than anything else right now. Where eight months ago it did not warrant its own category in the study, this time it did. It just isn’t generating the same traction as social networking.

One theory on why this is occurring is the historical precedents that have been established regarding our communication. Whether it was the letter carried cross-country by the Pony Express in the 1800s or the weekly call home from college in the 1980s, our non-essential communication has largely been a “highlight reel” of a period in our lives. Social networking allows us to disseminate the same type of information to a broader audience and with a greater level of detail.

If social networking is a “highlight reel,” Twitter is more like a “play-by-play” of our lives.  It’s something we are unaccustomed to, which, in part, explains the limited adoption and participation. Does this mean Twitter has no role in brand communication? Absolutely not. Depending upon a brand’s audience and the nature of the message, more than a viable choice, Twitter may be the preferred alternative.

The challenge for marketers is to understand these changing audience dynamics and opportunities for brand interaction to sufficiently determine the most efficient media at any point in time.

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