The report suggests a fractured country, with no consistency as to how we talk to each other. There are Always On communicators tweeting about platform-agnostic Enlightened communicators, who chat face to face with those in the Middle Of The Road, who are avoiding voice mails from Conventional communicators. All the while the Detached lot text to say they aren't interested in talking to anyone.
Each of these types of communicator has their own preferences of medium, and each comprises roughly 20% of the population. Whilst we might have questions about some of the research's assumptions, the fact remains that they have identified several key trends among certain demographics.
One of the headline findings seems to be the death of the landline. For only one type of communicator - the Conventional - does the landline feature as a prominent means of communicating.
However, it's clear from just the top-line results that those who like their landlines really, really like their landlines. Although they demographically skew relatively old (most likely to be over 65), the fact that they remain so attached to voice calls from landlines shows that for this segment - and the purchasing sectors they dominate - landlines remain a key means of communication.
And if we dig a little further into the full report a more nuanced picture appears.
Whilst landline use is predominant among Conventional communicators, it is important across all of the types of communicator, unlike some other media. 75% of all adults have a landline, and no less than 68% of any type of communicator does. However, less than 40% of Conventionals have a computer.
Not only are landlines widely used by most people, they are also a key way of capturing a demographic that's difficult to find online otherwise.
The research also shows that landlines are used disproportionately heavily not just by Conventionals, but also Enlighteneds and Middle Of The Roaders. Proportionately it's the youngest segment who tend not to use landlines, them and those who don't communicate with anyone at all, the Detacheds.
Those who depend on text messages also, according to the research, tend to rely on them most heavily for talking to friends and family.
For business purposes, the landline is alive and well and tracking calls effectively is as important as ever. They are the key, not just to a demographic that's otherwise difficult to discover online, but are still a major way in which all adults communicate.
