Mobile is the Needle, Social is the Thread
How Information Today is Woven Into Our Lives
Radiodays EuropeMarch 15-16, 2012Barcelona, Spain
Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.Associate Director, Research
Pew Internet Project
• Part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based in Washington, DC
• PRC’s mission is to provide high quality, objective data to thought leaders and policymakers
• Data for this talk is from nationally representative telephone surveys of U.S. adults and teens (on landlines and cell phones)
• Presentation slides and all data are available at pewinternet.org
46% of US adults used the internet
5% had home broadband connections
53% owned a cell phone
0% connected to internet wirelessly
0% used social network sites
__________________________
Information flowed mainly one way
Information consumption was a stationary activity
Internet Use in the U.S. in 2000
Slow, stationary connections built around a desktop
computer
82% of US adults use the internet, 76% of whom are online on any
given day
2/3 have broadband at home
88% have a cell phone; 46% are smartphone users
14% have a tablet computer
2/3 are wireless internet users
65% of online adults use SNS
The Internet in 2012
Mobile devices have fundamentally changed the
relationship between information, time and space
Information is now portable, participatory, and
personal
The Very Nature of Information Has Changed
All around us
Cheap or free
Shaped and controlled by consumers and networks
Designed for sharing, participation and feedback
Immediate
Embedded in our worlds
Scarce
Expensive
Shaped and controlled by elites
Designed for one-way, mass consumption
Slow moving
External to our worlds
Information was…
Information is…
Information is Woven Into Our Lives
Mobile is the needle, Social Networks are the thread
Social Networks…
Surround us with information through our
many connections
Bring us information from multiple, varied
sources
Provide instant feedback, meaning and context
Allow us to shape and create information
ourselves and amplify others’ messages
Mobile…
Moves information with us
Makes information accessible ANYTIME
and ANYWHERE
Puts information at our fingertips
Magnifies the demand for timely information
Makes information location-sensitive
Mobile is the Needle: 88% of US Adults Have a Cell Phone
Teen data July 2011 Adult data Feb 2012
46% of US adults now own smartphones, up from 35%
in Spring 2011
Highest among young adults:67% of 18-24 year-olds71% of 25-34 year-olds
% in each age group who have a cell phone
% of US adult cell owners who use their phones to…
Mobile is the Needle That Weaves Information Throughout Our World
Overall, if you had to use one single word to describe how you feel about your cell phone, what would that one word be?
How Phones Function In Our Lives
% of US adult cell owners who had done each of the following in the past 30 days…
88%
57% 55%
14% 14%
Cell Phone Laptop Desktop Tablet Computer
e-Reader
Percent of US adults 18+ who own each type of gadget…
Based on Pew Internet Tracking Surveys, 2011-2012
Tablet ownership rose from 4% to 14% between
September 2010 and
February 2012
Tablet and e-reader ownership is highest among…. college graduates
adults with household incomes of $75,000+
Tablet and E-reader Use is Growing
Apps provide direct connections to information
% of app downloaders who have downloaded each type of app…
Based on August 2011 Pew Internet Tracking Survey
Apps: From Superhighway to Bypass
One in three US adults download apps to a cell phone or tablet computer
App downloading is highest among
young adults age 18-29
Into the Future: Apps and Augmented Reality
Social Networks are the Threads That Connect Us
65% of US adults use social networking sites
Consistent rates across gender, race/ethnicity, and income groups
Why We Use Social Networks
A Pew study finds that contrary to fears the
internet isolates people...
• Facebook users are more trusting than other adults
• Facebook users have more close
relationships
• Facebook users get more social
support than other adults
For networked individuals, information is embedded and ambient
Social Networks and Social Cohesion
Social Networks Give Rise to “News Participators”
In January 2010, 37% of internet users contributed to, commented on, or disseminated
news content via SNS
71% got news/info through email or SNS posts_________________________________________________
In January 2011, 41% of adults were “local news participators”
Share links to local stories/videos
Comment on local news stories/blogs
Post information about their community on SNS
Contribute to online discussions about their community
“Tag” or categorize local content
Post articles/photos/videos about their community
18%
30%
38%
38%
46%
56%
Int'l News Org site
Indiv or Org on SNS
Newspaper Site
Special Topic Site
TV News Org Site
Portal Sites
% of online news consumers who use each source on a typical day
Most Popular Online Sources for News and Information
Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey
The Culture of Shared Information
39
51
45
48
57
55
57
72
25
37
38
42
44
48
48
68
Follow on soc media
Ability to comment
Interactive material
Customize news
Easily share content
Portal/News aggregator
Multi-media content
Links to related material
Total 18-29
Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey
The most popular
features allow people to
interact with, share, and customize
their information.
This is especially true
for young adults.
Popular features of online news sites….
Information is Directly Embedded in Our Environments
The Internet of Things
Convergence of physical and digital worlds
Networked objects
Immersive environments
Information is no longer external to our world, but woven into its very fabric
Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.Associate Director, Research
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
Twitter: @pewinternet
@kristenpurcell
All data available at pewinternet.org
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