The Pew Internet and [...]]]> There have been theories in the past that the Internet has started to dumb people down – even The Atlantic’s Nicholas Carr wrote that the Internet “is chipping away [his] capacity for concentration and contemplation.” However, the latest Pew Research Center study, which I came across thanks to Mediabistro, begs to differ.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed 895 “prominent scientists, business leaders, consultants, writers and technology developers.” Janna Anderson, the study’s co-author and Imagining the Internet Center Director, summed up the results:

* “3 out of 4 experts said our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence”
* “2/3 said use of the Internet has improved reading, writing and rendering of knowledge”

While I’m not a stranger to lacking “concentration and contemplation” at times – as Nicholas Carr argues – I agree with the study that the Internet has certainly advanced people’s capacity.

Do you agree? Has the Internet enhanced you as a person? Leave a comment and share your thoughts here!

In 2007, Forrester developed profiles of social media users and visualized this in their “Social Technographics” infograph, which details each profile’s characteristics as well as its position in the social media hierarchy.

But behaviors change, and Forrester is now adding a rung for Conversationalists: Facebook and [...]]]> There’s a new user label in the social media world: Conversationalists.

In 2007, Forrester developed profiles of social media users and visualized this in their “Social Technographics” infograph, which details each profile’s characteristics as well as its position in the social media hierarchy.

But behaviors change, and Forrester is now adding a rung for Conversationalists: Facebook and Twitter users “who update [their] social network status” on a weekly basis.

Conversationalists are ranked second only to Creators, individuals who create their own content and share it online.

Interestingly, 56% of Conversationalists are female and 70% are 30 years old or older. MediaPost has some detailed age breakdowns as well.

So, what does this mean for social media marketers?

The emergence of the Conversationalist profile reinforces that numbers do not determine one’s social media currency – a high number of Facebook friends and Twitter followers are only significant when the user regularly communicates with their friends and followers. There is greater value in an individual’s level of engagement, which determines their clout online.

So are you a Conversationalist? I know I am, so share your thoughts by posting a comment below or by pinging me on Twitter.