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Dynamic trends

By Marissa Rodriguez

WIRED UP

Hispanics embrace the use of technology

Internet providers, personal computer companies and wireless device companies investing in the Latino market are right on the pulse of what could be the next consumer boom. A new study reveals that the long-held misconception that Hispanics don’t use the Internet and not tech-savvy is dead wrong.
The study, “The State of Hispanic Consumers and Technology: 2007,” compiled and analyzed more than 17,500 survey responses gathered over nearly two years to determine not only how much time Latinos spend online, but what they do online, whether they prefer English or Spanish, what gadgets and devices they buy and their overall attitudes about technology and Internet usage. The result is a comprehensive report on Hispanics’ relationship to personal technology and the Internet.
The conclusions? Hispanics, of course, do use the Internet, perhaps more than previously believed, but their usage habits and attitudes differ from non-Hispanic users. Even among themselves, Hispanics’ habits and attitudes vary widely and are far more dynamic than perhaps was expected. Survey responses tended to be divided by such factors as whether the respondents preferred to speak English or Spanish, their level of acculturation and income level.
Language preference was the largest variable. Comprising 51 percent of all online Hispanics, the report shows that Spanish speakers, like their English-speaking counterparts, prefer to spend time online networking and conducting research. However, Spanish speakers best English-speaking Hispanics in a number of social and entertainment-related online activities. They are more likely to use instant messaging (IM), listen to Internet radio, watch Internet video, download video and music, use chat rooms and discussion boards, publish their own web sites and read or maintain blogs.
Hispanics, according to the survey, are also fans of gadgets, but again to varying degrees. Although the use of wireless devices has grown overall among Hispanics, only English-dominant Hispanics have surpassed English-dominant non-Hispanics when it comes to owning video games, MP3 players and laptop computers. Spanish-language Hispanics still lag behind non-Hispanic buyers.
The report reiterates that as prices fall, Spanish-dominant Hispanics are expected to purchase more.

ONLINE ACTIVITY
Of Hispanics who use the Internet, 32 percent have made an online purchase in the last three months. However, English-preferring Hispanics were more likely to shop online (41 percent) than Spanish-preferring Hispanics (23 percent).
Hispanics also participate in online banking. Nearly half (47 percent)
of Hispanic respondents looked up bank account balances online. And
12 percent paid their bills online, as opposed to 5 percent on
non-Hispanics.
Both Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanics were almost equally as likely to use the Internet to research products for purchase.

TOPLINE FINDINGS
Of Hispanic adults, 49 percent, or 13.9 million people, are online.
The majority of Hispanic online users prefer to visit Spanish-language
websites.
More than half of Hispanics polled, 57 percent, had optimistic attitudes
toward technology.

GADGETS and GEARs
Hispanics are fast adopting the use of computers and wireless devices. Between October 2005 and January 2007, household personal computer ownership grew by 45 percent.
Camera phone adoption grew by 57 percent in the same time period.
Meanwhile, the use of MP3 players more than doubled from 15 percent
to 37 percent.