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In early May, researchers from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center found a possible correlation between human speech and the gestures of chimpanzees. Movements are more contextually flexible than sounds in these apes. For them, a scream's just a scream, but an outstretched hand could mean “Help me fight off this aggressor!” or “How about breaking me off a bit of that juicy mango, partner?”

Coincidentally, in that same news cycle, the Pew Internet & American Life Project published a study of how we Americans relate to communications technology such as the Internet and mobile phones.

For me, the two publications linked up instantly. I've always thought of the Pew researchers as social anthropologists exploring the remote corners of Web behavior. In my mind's eye, they're decked out in pith helmets and khaki shorts, watching from cover while Americans traverse the Web — like Jane Goodall watching chimps dig into a termite mound with a stick.

Culled from phone interviews with 4,000 Americans age 18 and older between February and April of this year, “A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users” found that we generally split into three categories according to how many devices we own, how extensively we engage with them, and how much satisfaction and value we get from them.

About 31% of us fall into the “elite tech user” group; these are heavy owners and users of interactive tools from mobile phones to laptops and home broadband. Another 20% are “middle of the road” tech users. They use their devices to communicate, check e-mail, and perhaps go online for enjoyment now and then. But they don't get very involved in the edgier, more expressive areas of the Internet.

And finally, the Pew report designates 49% of the population as having “few tech assets”: folks with little access to — and less use for — high-level communications on the Internet or cell phone. These people don't want to create or consume user-generated content, join an online social network, write or read blogs, download music from the Internet or watch TV on a cell phone.

Most headlines coming off the report pointed to the large number of these techno-refuseniks. Almost half the country hates the Internet! Let's stop all this highfalutin Web 2.0 foolishness and get back to the real things in life! And bring back the rotary-dial phone!

In fact, U.S. communications adoption as seen by the Pew researchers is more nuanced. And some of the subgroups it identifies may be more open to interactivity (and online marketing) than the headlines suggested.

For example, half of that middling 20% is what the Pew report calls “mobile-centric.” They like their mobile phones, use them for most of their calls, and wring the most out of their very full features, sending text messages, sharing pictures, playing games and downloading music. (Does it need to be said that their average age is 32?) While this group is less enthralled with the Internet or e-mail than the elite, the spread of cheap, ad-supported mobile Web content and some easy mobile search could change that situation.

The other half of the middle is “connected but hassled.” They're 46 years old on average, they've been online for nine years, and they're feeling overwhelmed by both information and the trouble it takes to access it. In other words, they're great candidates for RSS feeds that could push the content they want automatically, without any effort on their part. That wouldn't be an impossible sale: About 40% of this group says technology helps them learn new things. They just need to have the barriers lowered a bit.

So with a few product tweaks and some tactical evangelizing, 51% of the country could be happily going online actively and often.

Even down at the low end of the spectrum where the Luddite 49% reside, the Pew report finds that 8% of that category are actually “inexperienced experimenters.” They interact only occasionally with the Web (most don't have home broadband) but they like what they've seen. These folks might do more with technology if they knew more about it, and it could take only an infrastructure enhancement or two (for example, more municipal Wi-Fi) or a couple of drops in the price of laptops to promote them up the adoption ranks.

In short, the Pew report's vision of technology take-up in this country is nowhere near as bleak as was reported. True, only a small group of citizens are ringing all the mobile bells and blowing the Web 2.0 whistles now. But sizable portions of the rest of us show at least an openness to trying new tech and a propensity to value what it can let us do. That bodes well for future adoption trends and promises a growing menu of ways to reach customers.

Only 31% of us may be stretching out our hands today. But someday we'll all be eating mangoes.

For the latest on search engine marketing, subscribe to SearchLine, a weekly newsletter by Brian Quinton, at www.directmag.com/newsletters.