PewInternet.org

How social can news get?

SoCon11 February 5, 2011Kennesaw State University, Georgia Lee Rainie: Director, Pew Internet ProjectEmail: Lrainie@pewinternet.org

Networked individuals

• Weaker boundaries for small, tight-knit groups

• More connectivity• More personal autonomy

4

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

7

1 - Internet and

Broadband Revolution

70% 66%

10

News platforms Americans use on typical day

7873

54 50

17

61

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Local TV Nationalnetwork/cable

Online Radio Localnewspaper

Nationalnewspaper

% o

f ad

ult

s (1

8+)

News is pervasive (1) -- People use diverse platforms

11

News is pervasive (2) -- People graze across platforms

# of news platforms Americans use typical day

46%46%

7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1 platform 2-3 platforms 4-6 platforms

% o

f a

du

lts

(1

8+

)

12

On typical day, 59% of adults

get new online and from at least

one offline source

News is pervasive (3) -- People blend old and new media

13

News is personal: The “Daily Me” and “Daily Us” is being built

• 67% of all Americans say they only follow specific subjects

• 28% of internet users have customized a news page and 42% say customization is an important web feature to them

• ~ 50% belong to listservs / large email groups

• ~ 33% of internet users get RSS feeds

• ~ 25% get news alerts

vVolume Velocity

Voices

ValenceRelevance

Vibrance

Variety

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% OR MORE use location-sharing services

News participators

25

17

119

3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Comment onstories

Post links onSNS

Tag content Create news Create newstweets

% o

f in

tern

et

us

ers

News is participatory: 37% of internet users are news contributors / disseminators

17

2 - Wireless Connectivity Revolution

Cell phone owners – 85% adults

Jan-05 Jul-05 Jan-06 Jul-06 Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

All adults Ages 18-29 Ages 30-49 Ages 50-64 Age 65+

96% 90% 85%

58%

Mobile internet connectors – 57% adults

Feb-04 Aug-04 Feb-05 Aug-05 Feb-06 Aug-06 Feb-07 Aug-07 Feb-08 Aug-08 Feb-09 Aug-09 Feb-10 Aug-100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

All adults Whites Blacks Hispanics

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

21

News is portable - 33% of cell owners get news on handhelds

News on cell phones (80% of adults have cell phones)

26 25

1816

13 12 11

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Weather Browseheadlines

Checknews app

Sports Traffic Financialinfo

Newsalerts byemail/text

% o

f ce

ll u

sers

22

3 - Social Networking Revolution

Consequences for info ecosystem

Social dashboard Pervasive awareness

So what for news ? (1)Social networks play a more important role at every stage

• 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

So what for news? (2)Audience exist in a networked media ecology

Attention zonesContinuous

partial attentionDeep divesInfo-snacking

Media zonesSocialImmersiveStreamsCreative /

participatoryStudy / work

New dissemination and sharing environment

Changes underway

Voice, 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

Pew Research Center’s

Tom Rosenstiel model: Journalism as a service – not product

The Eight Functions of 21st Century Media

- Authentication - Sense Making

- Watch Dog - Smart Aggregation

- Witness - Empowerment

- Forum Leader - Role Model

PewInternet.org

Charlie Firestone ModelMatrix of Revenue Sources for Various Journalistic Functions

Subs

crip

tions

Adve

rtisin

g

Fees

/Sales

of I

nfo

Micro

paym

ents

Barte

r/Co-

ops

REVENUE SOURCE

Corpo

ratio

n Und

erwrit

ing

Phila

nthr

opic G

ifts

Volu

ntar

y Con

tribu

tions

/Tip

Jars

Endo

wmen

ts

Gover

nmen

t

Fact Finding

Verification

Authentication

Contextualization

Analysis

Editing/Filtering

Aggregation

Linking/Agenting

Distribution

JOURNALISTIC FUNCTION

30

Why good social networks (and social networking) matter

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

communities

31

Thank you!

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