Digital Perspective Blog » Pew Internet & American Life Project

It’s not your Dad’s news anymore

Erin Byrne — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:41:33 +0000

Pew Internet released a new study today called “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer.” Essentially the study reports that Americans use multiple platforms to get their news. This isn’t news in and of itself, but what I did find a little surprising was where the Internet ranked in the list of sources.

The internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio. Getting news online fits into a broad pattern of news consumption by Americans; six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day.

Quite honestly I would have expected the Internet to be the top source for news. When I watch television news at this point, whether it be national or local, it is almost for entertainment purposes. Any time I want to dig deep and truly understand the news or an issue I always go to the Internet and usually go to multiple sources. Regardless, the study does support that 92% of Americans use multiple platforms to get their news and that 33% are now getting their news on their mobile phones as well.

Other interesting points from the study include:

46% of Americans say they get their news from four to six media platforms on a typical day.
Only 7% get their news from a single media platform.
TV is still the top source for news with 78% saying they get news from a local TV station, followed by 73% who say they get news from a national network such as CNN
The most popular online news subjects are the weather (followed by 81% of internet news users), national events (73%), health and medicine (66%), business and the economy (64%), international events (62%), and science and technology (60%). This is interesting to me because outside of a major storm like the one that just slammed upstate NY, I don’t generally consider weather to be news.
75% of online news consumers say they get news forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites and 52% say they share links to news with others via those means.
51% of social networking site (e.g. Facebook) users who are also online news consumers say that on a typical day they get news items from people they follow. Another 23% of this cohort follow news organizations or individual journalists on social networking sites.

So, what does this all mean? To start, it means that integration is key. I must sound like a broken record by now, but news, information and conversations move online and offline and online again. Therefore, creating content and reaching audiences traditionally and via online and social media is critical to effectively disseminating messages. For marketers, this study reinforces the need for compelling and creative content. People are multitasking in everything they do, even in something as simple as getting their daily dose of news, so only the most interesting content will cut through the clutter. Given that 75% of those who consume news online say they get it from email links or via social networking sites, cutting through the clutter and creating advocates to spread your message continues to become even more important.

When I was a child I was the remote control for my dad in watching the 6:00 news. We didn’t talk, or eat, or do anything as he recapped the day with the anchor du jour. Times have changed (duh) but I wonder what my daughter will say about my news consumption when she is an adult.

Pew report examines early online adopters

Erin Byrne — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:07:02 +0000

The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report yesterday, “A Portrait of Early Internet Adopters: Why People First Went Online and Why They Stayed.” The report confirms a lot that we already know – people originally went online for personal reasons, social networking in some form has always been an important component of the Internet experience, and the Internet is the first source when people need information to help them solve problems. Two other elements of the report jumped out at me though.

They talk about social networking as nothing new, which I completely agree with, but they talk about it in the context of early Internet technologies such as bulletin board systems or Usenet. I think it is important to remember that social networks have always existed, and continue exist both online and off. Participating in my quilt guild or local kayaking club are both social networks that exist primarily offline, just as my twitter or facebook communities are online social networks. It is because social networks have always been an integral part of society that online social networks are so dominant now – they allow you to participate in more targeted and relevant communities and expand your reach like never before. This isn’t new, but rather an enhancement.

The second point that jumped out at me was around the personal connection that early adopters of the Internet feel as compared to early adopters of other technology revolutions. As opposed to other technology innovations, (TV, automobiles, and telephone are used in the report), Internet adopters see themselves more as co-creators instead of simply users. I tried to think of another technology revolution that could say the same, users as co-creators, and couldn’t come up with one. Interesting stuff…

What kind of user are you?

Erin Byrne — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:37:04 +0000

There are a lot of different studies that measure technology use and impact. At Burson-Marsteller we have our own e-fluentials series which we’ll be talking more about soon as we have some new studies coming out. In the meantime, however, check out the Typology Groups quiz from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. You answer a few questions about the devices you own and the type of activities you participate in online, and then get a ranking on your typology group. The options start from the bottom with those that are “off the network” which Pew indicates is 15% of the population. These are the folks living in caves with no Internet, no mobile phone, and a heavy reliance on traditional media. At the top of the spectrum are “omnivores” which are 8% of the population. These folks are wired to the max and go beyond accessing information online to truly participating and expressing themselves. Of course, there are all sorts of options in between. It would be interesting to have insights on the collective influence of each group on the others, but the quiz itself was interesting too.

What is your typology group, and what does it mean for how you communicate?

Who’s not online?

Erin Byrne — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:53:39 +0000

I was surprised to read e-Marketer’s article today titled, “Who Doesn’t Use the Internet?” The article references Pew Internet & American Life Project report on Information Searches That Solve Problems, and details that 24% of American’s don’t have Internet access. This is critical for marketers to be aware of. As important as integrating digital into marketing campaigns is, it is also critical that marketers understand where digital won’t work and allocate efforts appropriately to reach an entire audience. The Pew report identifies those with the least access being the ones who are less affluent, less educated, and older. That has implications for specific industries, most notably health care, as older Americans with less money often are most in need of health-related news and information. I think there are also implications for government agencies who continue to rely very heavily on the Internet to distribute public education materials.
Have a look, it is a quick but good read and provides demographic details on those not online.