Information 2.0 and Beyond: Where are we, where are we going?

Information 2.0 and Beyond: Where are we,

where are we going?

APLIC 44th Annual ConferenceMarch 29th, 2011Washington, DC

Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.Associate Director, Research

Pew Internet Project

• Part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based in Washington, DC

• Provide high quality, objective data to thought leaders and policy makers

• Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts

• All findings are based on nationally representative telephone surveys of…

– U.S. adults age 18+ or U.S. teens ages 12-17

– Drawn from dual-frame (landline/cell phone) samples

The Evolution of the InternetBroadband, Mobile,

Social Networks, Apps

Today’s Digital InformationPortable, Participatory,

Personal

Librarians 3.0Shifting Roles for Librarians

Internet Evolution

46% of adults used internet

5% had broadband connections at home

<20% watched video online

53% owned a cell phone

0% connected to internet wirelessly

0% used social network sites

The Internet in 2000

Slow, stationary connections built around a desktop

computer

In 2010, 74% Use the Internet

Teen data Sept 2009 Adult data Nov 2010

• High-speed connection brings greater overall engagement in online activities

• Content creation meets the masses:

Blogging (14% of online adults)

Commenting (26%)

Downloading music (37%) or video (27%)

Watch online video (66%)

• Search becomes the norm (87%)

In 2010, 65% Have Broadband at Home

Stage One in Internet Evolution: Broadband

Internet access is highest amongWhites

College graduatesThose with incomes of $50,000+

Home broadband access is also most

common in white, highly educated and

more affluent households

But, There Remains a Digital Divide

2% of U.S. adults (able to participate in a telephone survey) have a disability or illness that makes it harder or impossible for them to use the

internet

At least 1 in 4 U.S. adults live with a disability that interferes with activities

of daily living

Of those, 54% use the internet – compared with 81% of adults who report none of these disabilities

U.S. adults living with chronic disease are

significantly less likely than healthy

adults to have access to the internet (62% vs. 81%)

Less Visible Digital Divides

Cell phone use is on the rise

Teen data Sept 2009 Adult data Nov 2010

In 2011, 85% of Adults Have a Cell Phone

Stage Two in Internet Evolution: Mobile

In 2000, 53% of adults owned a cell phone

In 2011, ¼ of US

households are cell only

Laptops are becoming the computer of

choice

For the first time in 2010, adults 18-29 were more

likely to own a laptop than a

desktop

In 2000, there

were no wireless internet users

Today, 59% of

adults go online

wirelessly

Young Adults Lead the Way in Wireless Internet Use

Based on Nov 2010 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

Among adults who use their cell phone to go online…

Based on May 2010 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

In April 2009, just 36% went online daily

via their cell phone

• Overall, wireless internet users are more engaged in online activities

• Half of all African-American adults in the US (48%) have used their cell phone to access the internet, compared with 40% of Hispanic adults and 31% of white adults

• Overall, African-American adults are the most active mobile internet users

• African-American mobile internet use is growing at a faster rate than non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics

Based on Sept 2009 Pew Internet Survey

Percent of US adults 18+ who own each type of gadget…

85%

61% 57%

43%38%

7% 6%

Cell Phone Desktop Laptop MP3 Player Game Console Tablet Computer

e-Reader

Based on Nov 2010 and Jan 2011 Pew Internet Surveys

Tablet ownership among U.S. adults

rose from 4% to 7% between

September 2010 and

January 2011

New Kids on the Block

Mobile changes our relationship

to time and space

I can get the information I need

when I want it, where I want it

Mobile has increased accessibility

for some populations

Teen data Sept 2009 Adult data Nov 2010

Teens and young adults are the heaviest SNS users

In 2000, there were no “social network

sites” or users

In 2005, 8% of online adults used

SNS

In 2008, 35%

Today, 61% of online adults use

SNS

Stage Three in Internet Evolution: Social Networking

Teen data Sept 2009 Adult data Nov 2010

Twitter is not as popular as SNS

On the horizon…

In January 2011, 17% of adult internet

users said they use a geo-location

service or function such as

Foursquare or

Google Latitude to share

their location with friends

Total online adults 8%

For networked individuals, information

is embedded

and ambient

SNS are Information Game Changers

84% use cell phones

35% have apps

24% use apps

All adults

35% of adults have apps on their phones, but only 24% say they actually use them

According to the Nielsen Mobile

Insights Survey, the most popular

apps are…

Games

News/Weather

Map/Navigation

Social Networking

Based on May 2010 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

Are Apps the Next Major Step?

Stage Four in Internet Evolution: Apps

11% of cell owners are not sure if their phone is equipped with apps

29% of cell owners have

downloaded an app and 13% have paid to download an app

Among those with apps, the average adult has 18 on his/her phone

App users are disproportionately male (57% male v. 43% female)

They are also more likely to be college graduates and have incomes of $75,00+

18-29 year-olds make up one quarter of the total U.S. adult population but almost half

(44%) of the app using population

Based on May 2010 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

From Superhighway to Bypass?

Apps provide direct connections to the information we want most

They can be web browsers, but they can also bypass the web

Apps can…

•bypass search•help answer questions

•help solve problems•help accomplish tasks

Online News/Information Consumption

Industrial Age

Info was:

Scarce

Expensive

Institutionally oriented

Designed for consumption

Information Age

Info is:

Abundant

Cheap

Personally oriented

Designed for participation

The “New” Information Ecology

• Blurring line between “news” and “information”

• Information is “free”

• Information is “at my fingertips”

• Information is available when I want it

• Information is available from multiple sources

Nine in ten American adults (92%) get news/info from multiple

platforms on a typical day

For six in ten American adults (59%), one of those platforms is the internet

*Platforms include print newspapers, television, radio and the internet

Multiple Platforms are the Norm

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

71% of American adults ever get news or information online

The majority of ONC are under age 50

Compared to other adults, ONC are…

• more educated

• more affluent

• disproportionately white and Hispanic

• more likely to have broadband

Almost a third are under age 30

The median age of ONC is 40

Who Gets Their News/Info Online?

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

% of ONC Who Use Each Type of Site on a Typical Day

Most Popular Online Sources for News and Information

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Most Popular Features of Online News Sites

% of ONC Who Say Each Feature is Important

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

The most popular features allow people to interact with, share, and

customize their news and info.

This is especially true

for young adults.

How many websites, if any, do you routinely rely on for news

and information?

Do you have a favorite online news source, or do you not

have a favorite?

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Most People Get News from Multiple Sites

Four Styles of Online News Consumption

Efficient Grazers Most use multiple sites, have no

favorite, and portals rank high as a favorite online news feature

Hunters and Gatherers 71% go online specifically to get

news/information at least a few times a week

Serendipitous News Discoverers 80% come across news/information at least a few times a week while they are

online doing other things

News/Info Receivers 44% get news/information forwarded through email, automatic updates and alerts, or posts on social networking

sites at least a few times a week

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Three Emergent Themes of Information Consumption

Portable

Participatory

Personalized

26% of adults access news/info on their cell phones

Among this population, 73% use social networking sites and

29% use Twitter

Typically a white male, age 34, employed full-time

One in ten adults gets news alerts sent to their phone

“On the Go” News/Info Consumers

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

37% of internet users have

contributed news content,

commented on it, or

disseminated it via SNS

Half of all online African-Americans (46%) are news participators

Overall, 71% of internet users get news/info through email or posts on

SNS

Remember…42% of ONC like sites where they can easily share material

35% look for sites where they can comment on stories

“News Participators”

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

28% of internet users have customized their homepage to include news/info of particular

interest to them

39% say being able to customize content is something they look for

in a news site

70% of adults say they are overwhelmed by the amount of news and information available

today

“The Daily Me”

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Shifting Roles of Librarians/

Info Professionals

What does all of this mean

for YOU?

Role #1: Filter

People still need trusted experts to help them figure out whether information is

accurate and trustworthy

People all also need filters to explain how information relates to them

Show people how/why information is relevant

Allow people to customize information to meet their own needs

Provide people with direct access to the information that means the most to them

Transparency = Trust

Role #2: Curator

You can be the one-stop shop people visit

Collect all relevant work/info(not just your own)

Provide links to primary and related sources and material

Recommend other sources,experts and places

People seek aggregation and deep dives into information

Role #3: Node in a NetworkYou can be a node in a network

Each person you touch represents an entire network

Make your information easy to share

Your information can have an organic life beyond your presentation of it –

package it with that in mind

Networking can be multi-layered

Be prepared to loosen control but monitor conversations around your work

Role #4: Community Builder

Create your own networks and build communities

around your material

Facilitate shared experiences, connect people with shared interests

Get, listen to, and respond to feedback

Identify and meet people’s needs by tuning in to

the online conversation

Role #5: Lifesaver

Provide timely information when and where people need it most

Make your information portable

Operate in a 24/7 world in which there is constant connectivity

Identify and meet people’s most urgent needs by tuning in to

the online conversation

Role #6: Tour Guide?

Make connections between your information

and real-world places

Create opportunities for information immersion and

augmented realities

• How Mobile Devices are Changing Community Information Environments http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Local-mobile-news.aspx

• How the Public Perceives Community Information Systemshttp://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/08-Community-Information-Systems.aspx

• Generations and their Gadgetshttp://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Generations-and-gadgets.aspx

• Mobile Access 2010 http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Mobile-Access-2010.aspx

• Understanding the Participatory News Consumer http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-News.aspx

• Social Media and Young Adults http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx

Available at pewinternet.org

Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.Associate Director, Research

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

kpurcell@pewinternet.org

Twitter: @kristenpurcell

Thank You!