Different kinds of screensavers are popular with different kinds of people. Today, computer users belong to virtually every age-group. Not surprisingly, therefore, they have different interests which get reflected in the screensavers they choose. Whats popular with people also depends on the configuration of their computers, particularly the memory and the processing speed. The popularity of a screensaver could even depend on the effect it has on users and the people around them.

It is not unusual for a colleague in an office to walk past, make an off-hand but critical comment about a screensaver being used by someone else, and succeed in making that someone else use a different screensaver. Sometimes, the reverse happens. A colleague sees the screensaver on someone elses computer and asks for the same one. This also happens amongst students. In fact, sometimes, someone who is considered cool determines which screensaver everyone else will use by making his or her preference well known. Its a bit like ring tones. If someone who is regarded as really trendy by all in the same peer-group opts for a particular ring-tone, everyone else has to have it. Its advertising at its best.

A similar phenomenon is also common in a group that has a passion for technology. The most Popular Screensaver at any given point in time is the screensaver that has the maximum graphics, but uses the least amount of the computers resources. Thematically, it could have images of nature, adventure sports, animations, movie clips or simple scientific phenomena such as the ripple effect on water, as long as it loads quickly, runs beautifully and doesnt make the users computer slower. In fact, this is the group that inspires and drives screensaver programmers to strive for spectacular screensavers that are suitable for all kinds of computer configurations and all kinds of operating systems installed on a computer.

However, the screensavers popular amongst children are quite different from the ones that appeal to the techno-savvy category of users. Children like animated screensavers. They like to watch their favorite cartoon characters, movie characters and characters from popular television shows. They prefer animations which have a simple story to tell, an anecdote or even a little incident from a fairytale. They tend to dislike screensavers that have a dramatic play of light and sound, or dark colors and spooky images. Teenagers tend to love what children tend to dislike. However, screensavers which are popular amongst nature lovers across all age-groups are scenes depicting natural beauty. Similarly, animal lovers like watching animals and their antics.

Once a user decides whats going to be popular with him or her, choosing a screensaver is fairly simple.