PewInternet.org

The Rise of Networked Individuals and Their Role in the Life of Entrepreneurs

United States Association for Small Business Entrepreneurship January 15, 2011Hilton Head, S.C.Lee Rainie: Director, Pew Internet ProjectEmail: Lrainie@pewinternet.org

April 9, 2010 2

Behold the idea of networked individualismBarry Wellman – University of Toronto

The turn by people from groups to social networks = a new social operating system = a new way to build businesses among them

3

Big societal forces pushing us toward networked individualism (1)

• Weaker group boundaries– Suburbanization– Fragmentation of nuclear family/changing family roles – Less prejudice– Group boundaries weaken – “Bowling Alone” – Media fragmentation – less cultural cohesion– Rise of “meritocracy” in workplaces/social structures– Politics, rise of “independents” – 39% of electorate– Religion, 44% switched from childhood denomination

Big societal forces pushing us toward networked individualism (2)

• Spreading connectivity–Travel –Technology –Trade

Big societal forces pushing us toward networked individualism (3)

• Rise in personal autonomy and agency– Free-agent nation– Income and wealth volatility– Mobility– Growing personal life management --

401ks and “cafeteria” health plans– Expanding consumer options

6

Internet and Broadband Revolution

70% 66%

Consequences for info ecosystem

Volume Velocity

Vibrance Valence /Relevance

Consequences for info ecosystem

Explosion of creators and niches

Networked creators among internet users• 62% are social networking site users• ~50% share photos• 33% create content tags • 32% contribute rankings and ratings• 30% share personal creations • 26% post comments on sites and blogs• 15% have personal website• 15% are content remixers • 14% are bloggers• 12% use Twitter• 4% use location-sharing services

12

Wireless Connectivity Revolution

Cell phone owners – 85% adults

96% 90% 85%

58%

Mobile internet connectors – 57% adults

62% 59% 55%

New cell and wireless realities• More than 2/3 of adults and 3/4 of teens use the cloud• Web vs. apps struggle: 35% have apps; 24% use apps• Features used by cell owners

– 76% take pictures– 74% are texters (text overtakes talk in frequency in 2009)– 42% browse internet– 38% are email users– 35% are IM-ers– 34% record videos– 34% play games– 33% play – 7% participate in video calls

53% of adults own laptops – up from 30% in 2006

45% of adults own MP3 players – up from 11% in 2005

50% of adults own DVRs – up from 3% in 2002

42% of adults own game consoles

6% of adults own e-book readers - Kindle

5% of adults own tablet computer - iPad

Consequences for info ecosystem

Anywhere Any device

PresencePlace

Any time

18

Social Networking Revolution

Consequences for info ecosystem

Social dashboard Pervasive awareness

So what for entrepreneurs? (1)They exist in a new creative ecology

• Conceiving ideas is different among networked learners– More self directed and less dependent on top-down

instructions– Better arrayed to capture new information inputs– More reliant on feedback and response– More attuned to group outreach and group knowledge– More open to cross discipline insights, creating their own

“tagged” taxonomies– More oriented towards people being their own individual

nodes of production

So what for entrepreneurs? (2)They exist in a networked media ecology

Attention zonesContinuous

partial attentionDeep divesInfo-snacking

Media zonesSocialImmersiveStreamsCreative /

participatoryStudy / work

Brand new marketing and sales environment

So what for entrepreneurs (3)Social networks play a more important role

for marketing and sales • As sentries – word of mouth matters more

• As information evaluators – they vouch for/discredit a business’s credibility and authenticity

• As forums for action – everybody’s a broadcaster/publisher

Queries???

• Different financing?• Different logistics (supply chain)?• Different competitive environment?• Different mix of startups?• Different success/failure rates?

– Is competence with tech a key indicator of success?

25

Why good social networks (and social networking) matter

• Healthier• Wealthier• Happier• More civically engaged = better

communities

Upheaval – 1Gadgets and interfaces

Changes underwayVoice, smart/semantic web, translation, natural language

search, projectors, screens, wearable devices make information ….

Pew Internet danah boyd– pervasive - persistent– portable - replicable– personal - scalable– participatory - searchable

COLLAPSED CONTEXTS

October 22, 2010 28July 9, 2010 28

Are hot future gadgets evident now?

Hot gadgets and apps that will capture the imagination of users in 2020 will often come “out of the blue” and not have been anticipated by many of today’s savviest innovators.

81% experts

The hot gadgets and applications that will capture the imagination of users in 2020 are pretty evident today and will not take many of today’s savviest innovators by surprise.

16% experts

Upheaval – 2The metaverse

The virtual world merges with real world

• Metaverse Roadmap: The internet of things enhances the internet of people– Augmented reality– Mirror worlds– Life logging – Virtual worlds

Upheaval – 3The exaflood

Age of big data and “the internet of things” – 50 billion connected devices by 2020?

• Exabyte: 1 billion gigabytes (1018 )– 2002: 5 exabytes of info on entire internet– 2010: 21 exabytes pass on internet per month

Implications• Constant connectivity changes social patterns and info

flows: need for real-time info/analytics• Niches proliferate• Media power balances shift and boundaries blur

– Old media vs. new media– Producers vs. consumers– New intermediaries

• Influence shifts to social networks– Attention to info– Evaluation of info– Action on info, including creation

34

Thank you!

Lee RainieDirector – Pew Internet ProjectLrainie@pewinternet.orgTwitter - @lrainie202-419-4500