GWI Tech Influencers report: understanding their behaviors and attitudes

This week we released another new audience report – this time looking at key trends among the tech influencer audience (defined as internet users who have a strong interest in technology, who say that they regularly tell their friends and family about new products and services, who have talked about technology/gadgets online in the last month, and who claim that other people regularly ask for their advice on tech-related subjects).

Overall, this audience accounts for 6% of the global internet population, with males and 25-34s dominating its composition. This is especially true in fast-emerging internet markets, which typically contain the highest share of influencers. North America is the region with the greatest number of women and older internet users within the influencer group.

Among the key trends identified in the report are the special importance that mobiles and tablets have for tech influencers: some 84% and 51% respectively are using them to connect to the internet – far higher than the equivalent figures among the general online population. This helps to explain why second-screening is such a prolific activity for influencers; 96% say they have used an additional device while watching television.

It’s also clear that this audience is particularly vocal online. In addition to talking about technology, they are active posters about all of the interest subjects tracked by GWI – showing that influence is a cross-category phenomenon. This trend is especially apparent in relation to blogging: 61% of tech influencers say they have written on their own blog within the last month (a figure which is rising from a long-term perspective), with an extremely diverse range of topics being discussed – many of them with little direct connection to technology.

In terms of tech brands, Sony is the one that the greatest share of the tech influencer audience say they would recommend to others. However, Apple is the most talked about brand online, showing how willing its users are to act as online ambassadors.

For further insights and stories, clients can download the report here. To sign up for a free trial of our Insight Store and see the full version of this report, click here.