GOVERNING AS SOCIALNETWORKING
Lee Rainie – Director Pew Internet ProjectIRMCO – Cambridge, MarylandApril 22, 2009
New information ecosystem: Then and Now
Industrial Age
Info was:
Scarce
Expensive
Institutionally oriented
Designed for consumption
Information Age
Info is:
Abundant
Cheap
Personally oriented
Designed for participation
2000
46% of adults use internet
5% with broadband at home
50% own a cell phone
<5% are content creators
0% connect wirelessly
<10% use “cloud”
= slow, stationary connections built around my computer, simple chat and
information exchange
The internet is the asteroid: Then and now
2008
75% of adults use internet
57% with broadband at home
82% own a cell phone
~40% are content creators
62% connect wirelessly
>53% use “cloud”
= fast, mobile connections built around outside servers and storage and social / civic
engagement
Personal ecosystem changes
4.22.2009 5E-government
Media ecology – thenProduct Route to home Display Local storage
TV stations phone TV Cassette/ 8-track
broadcast TV radio
broadcast radio stereo Vinyl album
News mail
Advertising newspaper delivery phone
paper
Radio Stations non-electronic
Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co
4.22.2009 6E-government
Media ecology – nowProduct Route to home Display Local storage
cable TiVo (PVR) VCRTV stations DSL TVInfo wireless/phone radio DVD“Daily me” broadcast TV PC Web-based storage content iPod /MP3server/ TiVo (PVR)Cable Nets broadcast radio stereo PCWeb sites satellite monitor web storageLocal news mail headphones CD/CD-ROMContent from express delivery pager individuals iPod / storage portable gamer MP3 player / iPodPeer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFI cell phone pagers - PDAsAdvertising newspaper delivery phone cable boxRadio stations camcorder/camera PDA/Palm game console
game console paperSatellite radio non-electronic storage sticks/disks
Adapted from Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co
4.22.2009 7E-government
Personal ecosystem changes
1.Volume of information grows
2.Variety of information increases
3.Velocity of information speeds up
4.The times and places to experience media enlarge
5.People’s vigilance for information expands AND contracts
4.22.2009 8E-government
Personal ecosystem changes
6.The immersive qualities of media are more compelling
7.Relevance of information improves8.The number of information “voices”
explodes – and becomes more findable
9.Voting and ventilating are enabled10.Social networks are more vivid
A different personal ecosystem and a different sense of …
• Expectation about access to information and people
• Persistence of the “digital me” and “digital you”
• Place … and time … and presence with others
• Possibilities of conversation and community -- scalability
• Personal efficacy
• Boundaries and contexts – public and private
• Social networking possibilities – new layers, new audiences
News ecosystem changes
4.22.2009 11E-government
Getting news on the internet
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Millio
ns o
f ad
ult
s
Ever get online news Typical day
113 million
64 million
4.22.2009 12E-government
The internet and political news/information% who use the internet to get info about the campaign
4%
18%
29%
44%
22%
33%
52%
60%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1996 2000 2004 2008
General public Internet users
Pe
rce
nt o
f ad
ults
4.22.2009 15E-government
People-Press news consumer typology
Political ecosystem changes
4.22.2009 17E-government
Using the internet for politics
21%
37%
55%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2000 2004 2008
% o
f adu
lts
4.22.2009 18E-government
35% of adults have watched politically related video
---
Up from 13% in 2004
Other activities
4.22.2009 19E-government
14% of adults have used social network sites for political news and information
Other activities
The process of citizen decision-making and
problem-solving changes
4.22.2009 22E-government
Background of research
• Institute for Museum and Library Services grant
• UIC partnership• Government
Printing Office query
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp
4.22.2009 23E-government
Basic question
• How do people get information to help them solve problems that could have a government connection or be aided by government resources?
Problem – 1 (… in the past two years) Yes
Dealt with a serious illness or other health condition, either yourself or someone close to you
45%
Made a decision about schooling, paying for education, or getting training for yourself or for a child
39
Needed information about property taxes or income taxes
34
Changed jobs, retired, or started your own business
25
Needed information about Medicare / Medicaid / food stamps
23
Problem – 2 (… in the past two years) Yes
Needed information about Social Security / military benefits
20%
Wanted information about voter registration or a government action, program, or policy 19
Look for help from local government with a problem like traffic or schools
15
Involved in a criminal matter, a lawsuit, or other legal action
10
Became a citizen / helped someone with immigration
5
79.5% had experienced at least one problem
=Approx. 169 million adults
and that is the target population for this
research
4.22.2009 27E-government
What sources did you use for most recent problem?
• 58% of those who had recently experienced one of those problems said they used the internet to get help (not including secondary internet users)
• 53% said they turned to professionals such as doctors, lawyers or financial experts
• 45% turned to friends and family members
4.22.2009 28E-government
What sources did you use …? (2)
• 36% consulted newspapers, magazines, books
• 34% directly contacted a government office or agency
• 16% consult television and radio
• 13% went to the public library
• 11% used another source not mentioned in survey
4.22.2009 29E-government
Who turns to government agencies for problem solving?
• 40-somethings = 40%
• College grads = 37%
• Internet users = 35%
• No gender or racial/ethnic variance
• No income variance
Source of info.
Health Education TaxesMedicare/Medicaid
Change job status
Social Security
Internet 46% 77% 60% 45% 66% 41%
Professionals 83% 40% 48% 43% 27% 38%
Family or Friends 51% 50% 26% 28% 58% 31%
Print sources 37% 38% 32% 33% 43% 27%
Government Agency 15% 27% 56% 60% 27% 71%
TV or Radio 16% 15% 21% 14% 14% 14%
Library 10% 20% 10% 10% 11% 7%
Problem
Search success in problem solving
Very Successful A lot of information
Government agency 65% 49%
Public library 64% 36%
Internet 63% 55%
Professionals / experts
61% NA
Newspapers, mags, books
57% NA
Family and friends 56% NA
TV and radio 55% NA
4.22.2009 32E-government
Average searcher/decider
• Used 2-3 sources of information – not an either/or world
• Relied on an “outside” human being somewhere in the process to find or assess information – so humans were filters and assessors of information
• Did not “self diagnose” and “self medicate” – relied on an expert sources before making the final decision
There is a new pattern of communication, influence, and support in a world of
networked individuals
4.22.2009 34E-government
The two-step flow of communication has become a four-step “cycle”
• Attention
• Acquisition
• Assessment
• Action
4.22.2009 35E-government
How do you….
• get a citizen’s attention?– leverage your traditional platforms– be a “news node” - offer alerts,
updates, feeds– be available in relevant places on
his/her terms, not just yours– find pathways through his/her social
network
4.22.2009 36E-government
How do you….
• help a citizen acquire information?– be findable in a search-driven, “long
tail” world– pursue new distribution methods– figure out your role in the “link
economy”– participate in the conversation about
your work
4.22.2009 37E-government
How do you….
• help a citizen assess information?
– be transparent
– be an archivist
– when you make mistakes, seek forgiveness
– decide if you can be a trusted aggregator
4.22.2009 38E-government
How do you….
• assist a citizen act on information?
– offer opportunities for feedback
– offer opportunities for remixing
– offer opportunities for community building
– be open to the wisdom of crowds
4.22.2009 39E-government
How are we doing in the Twittersphere?http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23irmco
“What are the metrics for citizen engagement beyond levels and
diversity of participation?”
Usability and navigationFeedback
Buzz and participationAid in social networkingAid in problem solving
Trust
4.22.2009 40E-government
Thank you!
Lee Rainie
Director
Pew Internet & American Life Project
1615 L Street NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
202-419-4500