As the internet matures, user types become more difficult to distinguish.

As we reported three weeks ago, an opinions@trone longitudinal study on internet use among 2,212 adults has established that behaviors continue to evolve as the medium provides new and different opportunities for engagement.

The most recent shift we’ve identified is driven largely by the increase in socialization throughout the continuum of users. Social network memberships among those over 30 have increased 63% in just eight months. This continual morphing of the user base poses an ongoing challenge for marketers attempting to harness the internet’s power.

User segments exist, but the differences between them are increasingly blurry.

A cluster analysis identified six segments of the research respondents. While the differences in these groups are discernable they are not readily defined by a few demographic or behavioral components. For example, significant portions (38-76%) of all six segments are members of a social network. In fact, five of the six segments have network participation in excess of 50%.

12% Contributors

These key drivers of content on the web represent 12% of the user base. Not surprisingly, this segment skews male and somewhat younger than the sample at large. While they display a much more intense engagement with the internet, this group demonstrates different attributes in other areas as well. They are twice as likely as the sample to describe themselves as extroverts and 131% more likely to say they enjoy being in the limelight.

Their fervor is not limited to the internet as they recognize significantly more informational value in all sources of content and engage more frequently with all forms of media. In keeping with their intensity, this group is the earliest adopters of technology and has the largest penetration of mobile internet access (40%).

21% Socialites

This segment (21%) is very similar to the Contributors. They display the same younger, male bias and the same high levels of social engagement. Where they vary is in their dependence on the internet and the degree to which they generate content. They are half as likely as Contributors to add to a blog and only a quarter as likely to publish their own.

Other participatory areas in which they are somewhat reluctant to engage are online gaming, video posting and commentary and uploading photos.

14% Savvy Users

The 14% of users that make up the Savvy segment are in many ways the most representative of the norm. They skew slightly older and more educated with a corresponding higher income. However, on virtually all the attitudinal and behavioral measures they exhibited little difference from the sample
at large.

The one notable exception to that pattern is in research where Savvy Users are significantly more likely to use the internet to investigate all subject matter from current and historical events to health- and fitness-related information.

13% Connectors

The 13% of the sample defined as Connectors are similar in many ways to the Savvy Users and the sample at large. One difference is their level of organization. They are disciplined and plan most things in advance. To them, the internet is a tool which allows them to stay on top of things. More importantly, it helps them maintain contact.

All the segments identified in the study appreciate the value of the internet in staying connected, but none so dramatically as this group. 97% indicated the internet makes their life easier, 96% agreed it facilitates staying in closer contact with family and friends and 90% feel better informed because of the things they learn on the internet.

16% Convenient Users

The 16% of the sample that comprises the Convenient User segment is less engaged with the internet than the previously identified groups. They skew somewhat older and are less well educated than the rest of the sample. They’re also more traditional, favoring face-to-face relationships. Given extra time in their day, they are more likely to spend it with family and friends than those in the other segments.

29% Information Supplementers

The final and largest segment at 29% is the Information Supplementers. This group is somewhat older and less educated than the Convenient Users and the internet plays an even less significant role in their lives. In fact, if queried they might describe it as a “necessary evil.” But, they are engaged, and while their participation may be somewhat begrudging and limited to internet fundamentals, they are spending time online.

Segments don’t represent an instant solution.

While these brief descriptions begin to paint a picture of the users populating the internet and allow their similarities and differences to be recognized, it is unlikely that any given segment or segments represent a brand’s target. Each brand must align its attributes with user need and with that target profile set forth to understand the role the internet can play in creating engagement.