Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Message from Michael -- The Digital Future -- June 8, 2011

Message From Michael                              

                                                                                                            June 8, 2011

 

§  A LOOK AT THE DIGITAL FUTURE



 

 

§  Trust Me, I'm From the Government.  It's a line attributed to former President Ronald Reagan who used it sarcastically.  Well, sarcasm or not, a survey released by the University of Southern California Annenberg shows more people (79%) believe government websites are "generally accurate and reliable" than believe in mainstream media websites (75%).  But the gap is narrowing.  Two years ago there was an eight-point difference between the two as opposed to the four-point difference in the latest survey.  The finding is one of many from the school's annual Digital Future Project which, for the last ten years, has surveyed people about their use of the Internet and views of the Internet. 

The reliability quotient for government and media though is nearly double the percentage (40%) that believes information generally on the Internet is reliable.  A slightly different measures finds that less than half (45%) of those surveyed said they have "some trust or a lot of trust" in the Internet.  Despite that, three quarters of the Internet users 17 and older say the Internet was an "important or very important" source of information to them.  And that, my news brethren, is higher than the percentage reported for television, newspapers or radio.  Further emphasizing the growing news role of the Internet, the survey shows Internet users spend more time going online for "non-sports news" than any other media.

To finish up the trust and reliability issue, the study shows only one in seven Internet users (15%) believe – not surprisingly – that information on individual websites is reliable.  At first it may seem somewhat surprising, and the report authors make a big deal of the fact, that a majority of Internet users "have almost no faith" that information on social networking sites is reliable or accurate.  But then look at the numbers.  That is 51%.  Now, stack that against the numbers for the Internet in general.  If only 40% believe that information is reliable, then theoretically that means 60% don't believe the information is reliable. 

§  Big Brother Is Watching You.  In keeping with the government reliability result and despite the anti-government rhetoric dominating politics, the survey shows people are more worried about big business than big government.  A little more than a third (38%) are concerned about the government checking what they do online, but nearly half (48%) are worried about big business checking up on them online.  BUT… But… but… despite those concerns, the study says concerns about privacy and security when buying online has declined AND the percentage of Internet users who say you put your privacy at risk by going online has declined to the lowest level in the ten years the study has been going.  Go figure.  And while you're trying to figure that one out, consider this.  While a third (33%) of Internet users believe it is "safe" to voice their opinions about politics while online, even more (36%) believe it is NOT safe.  Yet two thirds (66%) "agree or strongly agree" that people should be able to criticize their government while online.  More than half (52%) go so far as to say you should be able to express your ideas online "even if those ideas are extreme."  So, let me say it again, a little differently, just to drive the point home.  Most people believe you "should be" able to express your opinions freely online, but many of them believe it isn't safe to do so.  Yes, this should have been the lead for this report, but I wanted to build up to it.

As a footnote to this, it should be noted that the study found two-thirds of those surveyed (69%) don't believe the government should try to further regulate the Internet.

§  Make The World Go Away.  They're not exactly singing those lines, but a substantial minority of people just doesn't want to have anything to do with the Internet.  It's easy for those of us who spend most of our time crouched over a computer to forget that there is another world out there.  For one in five people (18%) that world does not include the Internet.  They are the ones the study classifies as "non-users" and that figure has been pretty consistent throughout the time of the study.  Most (37%) for the simple reason that they don't have a computer or an Internet connection.  But a quarter (25%) of them say it's just because they're not interested.  What is interesting is that more than a third (39%) of those 'non-users' are people who have kicked the habit.  They used to go online but have stopped for various reasons.

When they do go online, the report says the average Internet user spends 18.3 hours a week.  That actually is a slight dip from the year before, say the authors, and the first time there has been a dip in use.  If they're at home, they spend an average of 12.3 hours online; if they're at work, they spend an average of 12.9 hours online.  And they make "active use" of the Internet at work for an average 9.2 hours a week.  Yes, I know the numbers don't quite add up, but I am presuming there are issues of overlap and of definition. 

Anyway, to provide a little more perspective on the Internet interest, here's another number to consider.  Four out of five Internet users (82%) "sometimes or often go online without a specific destination."  That is what the study authors call "a new high response."  I should note that the figure is in line with other reports, such as the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which also found that a lot of people are just surfing the Web.  Anyway, in a separate part of the report, the authors note that the largest percentage of Internet users go online simply to browse (79%) versus online banking (47%), or getting product information (46%), or visiting social networking sites or video sharing sites (also 46%), or playing games (39%), or downloading or watching videos (39%), or downloading or listening to music (38%).   

§  SOME GENERIC FACTS AND FIGURES.  Or, put another way, things the study reports that probably confirm what you already suspect.  For example, most of those surveyed have more than one computer in their home with one in six (17%) having three or more computers.  Most people now use laptops, with laptops accounting for three quarters of computers owned, up from just one in five (18%) seven years ago.  Most people have Broadband access, which at 84% is an 800% increase in the ten years the survey has been done.  Most people (68%) have made an online purchase with the average adult user making 31 purchases online a year.  But while many people buy online, even more people do research online before buying.  Young people continue to be the dominant users of text messaging, averaging 104 messages a day – more than twice the number (48) sent by the average Internet users.  In the previous year, the average Internet user sent 38 text messages while the average 'young' Internet user sent 81 messages.  In both cases, the increase over the past four years has been 300%.  Not just "most" but nearly "all" Americans (97%) use e-mail, with users maintaining contact with an average 7.5 persons a week, up from 6.7 the year before.  

Finally,
the report says the percentage of people visiting social networking sites or video sharing sites continues to increase, with under half (44%) visiting such sites at least once a day, compared to a year ago when just over a third (36%) said they visited such sites daily.  And, just under a third (32%) create content for such sites.  The report makes a distinction between social networking sites and "online communities" which it defines as groups that "share thoughts or ideas, or work on common projects, through electronic communication only." Yes, I am struggling with that, too; but in any case, the report says more than half (56%) of such online community members are involved in their communities on a daily basis.  The vast majority of these online community members (93%) is involved in, or wants to be informed about, social causes.   

 

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