When we think of heavy technology users, we tend to imagine young white males. Perhaps instead we should be thinking of Hispanics. A new study from Terra Networks USA, the Miami-based digital content producer aimed at Hispanics, finds that the online Hispanic population is highly engaged with new technology, often moreso than with traditional media. Fifty-six percent of respondents said they spend at least an hour per day online compared with 50 percent for TV. Ninety-four percent of online Hispanics own cell phones, and 86 percent text-message. Sixty percent own at least four new media electronic devices, including 68 percent with a Palm Pilot or Blackberry. Interestingly, the most heavily engaged online Hispanics tend to be young males who speak Spanish at home and were born abroad, while the lightest internet users are more likely to speak English at home and have the lowest level of Hispanic pride. Fernando Rodriguez, CEO of Terra Networks USA, talks to Media Life about Hispanics’ usage of TV versus internet, how Latinos’ online time compares with the rest of the U.S. population, and what this demographic does when it's not online. 

 
What did you find most surprising or most interesting about this study?
 
One of the most interesting things is the online media usage and engagement with technology. It’s surprising that online is still seeing less than five percent of overall ad budgets, and it’s creating a significant gap.
 
The second thing is, one of the things that’s unique is we’re able to do segmentation into strong or weak Latino heritage groups. It was interesting to see the differences are not so much demographics, but behaviors, and that’s unique about this study.
 

Is this the first time that Hispanic internet usage has outpaced TV? What's driving that rise in web levels?
 
Internet usage has been growing for years, and both complement each other very well. I think the key here is for marketers to align their media mix with the media consumption, be more in line with what consumers are actually doing.
 
Then there’s the technological component, meaning there’s improvement in technology. And then there’s the consumer perspective. Generally speaking, media consumption is changing, people are moving more toward a digital environment, and the combination of those two are driving this.

How does this compare with other minority/ethnic groups? Are Hispanics spending more time online than others?
 
We didn’t analyze other groups in this study. The only reference would be the overall U.S. online population. Online Latinos spend about 10 percent more time online than the general U.S. online population.

Why do we see such heavy usage of cell phones among Hispanics, especially text messaging? Is it above the norm for the general population?
 
Well, the heavy usage was a bit of a surprise for us. The key here is that the population is younger, and we know younger generations are more likely to use cell phones.
 
Compared to the general population, the study doesn’t look at that, but other sources have shown that the Hispanic audience has higher penetration per household versus the general market.

What are the most common offline activities that online Hispanics engage in?
 
Well, again, Hispanics participate in a lot of different activities. One of the top is dining out, and also reading books and going to the movies at a theater. Also, 87 percent of online Hispanics engage in at least one recreational sport or activity.
 

Do you see any differences in technology usage between primarily Spanish and primarily English-speaking Hispanics? Why or why not?
 
There was not a very significant difference, but if anything, again going back to the segmentation, the surprising thing is the strong Latino heritage group is the one more engaged in online activities.

They’re more likely to own electronic devices, and so they could be a more advanced consumer.

What common demographic traits do heavy online engagement segments (OES) share?
 
There’s a skew toward being younger, male and less likely than the other groups to speak English at home. They’re more likely to be foreign-born, and they have the highest level of ethnic pride. And they’re also more likely to live in a big city like New York or Miami, and less likely to live in smaller markets.