‘Appitypes’: You are what you app, study finds

You are what you app. That’s the conclusion of new research that finds that people’s personality types can be determined by which apps they load onto their smart phones.

1. More from TODAY.com
   1. 'Jersey Shore' cast on real Shore: 'It's amazing!'
      

      Last fall, Superstorm Sandy brought devastation the boardwalk, but now the famous strip is back. To mark the occasion, the...

   2. Principal of school that lost 7 kids: 'After the tornado, the crying stopped'
   3. Jersey Shore reopens 7 months after Sandy: We're 80% there, says Christie
   4. Christie on upcoming Obama visit: 'I'll be here to welcome him'
   5. Hack your Memorial Day with 7 high-tech beach toys

The apps you use can help paint a portrait of  you as having specific "appitypes," said Trevor Pinch, professor of science and technology studies, who worked as a consultant for the Finnish telecomm giant Nokia.

Pinch used survey data on app usage from 5,000 smart phone users in 10 countries to create appitypes to help define user profiles. Appitypes play into people’s desire to project an identity and could be of use to developers and users alike.

For example, Pinch said an "appcentric" is an extreme user who sees the mobile phone as a main computing device for anything from data management to playing games. The “appthusiast” is someone who feels the need to search out and download the latest apps. The “live wire” downloads a mix of fitness, social and travel apps.

The "creator appitype" is the Picasso of personality types when it comes to app habits, Pinch said.

“Creators are very expressive and carry a multitude of apps that allow them to be spontaneously creative. They could be art teachers, therapists with a penchant for drawing or heavy metal heads. The entertainment industry is full of ‘creators’.”

The survey found that Germans are downloading flashlight and alarm clock apps, Pinch said, while Brazilians download lots of music and social networking apps. The Chinese download news apps. South Africans prefer social networking apps. People in India go in for business apps.

While previous data had been collected on the number of apps users have, there was no global survey of smart phone users until now, Pinch said.

“Think about connections between humans and technology,” Pinch said. “You can have smart phones with you all the time. You can sleep with the thing if you want. These apps capture people’s imagination and add mobility. There is nothing inevitable about the path technology takes. We need more research on how people and technology together can produce meaningful change in our lives.”

You can take the Nokia appitype quiz to find out what your appitype is.

• 5 Technologies That Might be Extinct by 2012
• 5 Clever Apps from Entrepreneurial Minds
• Digital Overload: Too Much Technology Takes a Toll

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site of TechNewsDaily.