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Good morning. I'm struggling with formalizing this sentence:

Online password managers are popular among tech-savvies.

This is too casual--I would like a better word for tech-savvies, preferably describing someone knowledgeable about IT/computers, i.e. a power user of sorts.

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6  
What's wrong with "power users"? – Andrew Leach Dec 17 '12 at 8:23
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@Andrew Leach. Ambiguity? I have the light on at the moment. Doesn't that make me a power user? – Barrie England Dec 17 '12 at 8:26
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@BarrieEngland As with so many questions here, context is everything. – Andrew Leach Dec 17 '12 at 8:31
@AndrewLeach power user may sound alright for a power user. However, for humans, as Barrie England points out, it's not distinctive enough, or even sufficiently established (IMO it feels rather "slang-y"). – Henning Klevjer Dec 17 '12 at 8:36
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I would say the bike shed should be green. It'll blend in with the trees. – Matt Эллен Dec 17 '12 at 11:06
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10 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

You can use technophile:

Online password managers are popular among technophiles.

From Dictionary.reference.com:

1. a person who loves or is enthusiastic about advanced technology.

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This may or may not be suitable for the OP, as a technophile is simply a technology enthusiast— and an enthusiast, in any field, need merely be enthusiastic, not necessarily knowledgeable or competent. – choster Dec 17 '12 at 14:30
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@choster, I agree with you. I think technophile is suitable, with some wiggle room for a more appropriate word. The OP's first word, tech-savvies, has some ambiguity too since you can be "savvy" on a topic but not necessarily be a power user. – Kristina Lopez Dec 17 '12 at 16:20
up vote 5 down vote

Two portmanteau neologisms that might fit the bill are:

Technocrat

An elite within a technical group.

Digerati

An elite group with an online community.

It's debatable whether either are real words yet, but I've seen both used a great deal in the UK press.

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Both have entries in the Oxford English Dictionary, but they may not be appropriate in the context the OP has given us. – Barrie England Dec 17 '12 at 10:58
up vote 5 down vote

Online password managers are popular among the more technically proficient.

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up vote 4 down vote

Online password managers are popular among _____.

I can't really think of a single word formal answer. IMO, IT professionals are implicitly considered power users. Computer experts might fall in the same category. I would also consider techies or for added emphasis seasoned techies. While it is a tad informal, I've seen techies used just about everywhere.

As online password managers are not used only by IT professionals, you could also simply state experienced/seasoned internet users.

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+1 for "techies". While informal, it's pretty universal, plus I'm not sure if using "tech savvy" as a noun as the OP does is at all common. – tinyd Dec 17 '12 at 11:32
up vote 2 down vote

Before "tech-savvy", I always used to use "computer literate".

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up vote 1 down vote

The technically literate and those familiar with technology are possible alternatives, but there may well be more.

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up vote 1 down vote

You could be a bit more explicit about the context. So instead of worrying about finding an appropriate word for techies in general, the sentence may be better if you convey why some people prefer password managers. e.g. "Online password managers are popular among security-conscious users". That way you educate readers a little about what password managers are for.

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up vote 1 down vote

You could also use cognoscenti, as in

Online password managers are popular among the cognoscenti.

This is the plural of cognoscente, which means

A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste; a connoisseur.

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up vote 0 down vote

Online password managers are popular among _.

Possible answers are:

  • tech-geeks
  • tech-nerds
  • code-breakers
  • tech-super-users
  • software-techies
  • blue-collared-workforce
  • IT-workforce
  • IT-taskforce
  • IT-metausers
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up vote 0 down vote

I know this would add a bit more, but you could say something like, "system administrators." That would imply these people "do computers" for a living, but you could soften that by stating they are popular among "system administrators and computer enthusiasts alike."

Also, since you are making a claim, you may need a source (if this is a formal paper (just a thought)).

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