PewInternet.org

The New Impact of Libraries

Netherlands Library AssociationNovember 15, 2012Lee Rainie: Director, Pew Internet ProjectEmail: Lrainie@pewinternet.org

What is the Pew Internet Project?

Number Of Users Who Actually Enjoy Facebook Down To 4

A comprehensive and groundbreaking new report released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project has found that only four users of Facebook derive pleasure of any kind from the popular social networking website.

According to the report, the remainder of the 950 million people registered with Facebook, despite using the site on a regular basis, take no joy in doing so, and in fact feel a profound sense of hopelessness and despair immediately upon logging in…

.... “As it turns out, the vast majority of human beings tend to become depressed when they see the past five years of their life summarized right there in front of them in a sad little timeline,” said lead researcher John Elliott.

The traits of networked information

• Pervasively generated

• Pervasively consumed

• Portable• Personal• Participatory• Continually edited

• Linked• Social currency• Multi-platformed• Real-time and

timeless• More quickly

generated and delivered

Digital Revolution 1: BroadbandInternet (85%) and Broadband at home (66%)

Networked creators and curators (among internet users)

• 69% are social networking site users• 59% share photos and videos

• 46% creators; 41% curators• 37% contribute rankings and ratings• 33% create content tags • 30% share personal creations • 26% post comments on sites and blogs• 16% use Twitter • 14% are bloggers• 18% (of smartphone owners) share their locations;

74% get location info and do location sharing

Impact on knowledge

• Rise of “fifth estate” of civic and community actors (including citizen “vigilantes”)

• The zone of legitimate argumentation expands• Information becomes “networked” through

links, crowdsourcing, perpetual editing/feedback

Revolution 2: Mobile – 89% of adults46% smartphones

321.7Total U.S. population:315.5 million

2012

Apr-09 Sep-09 May-10 Sep-10 Nov-10 May-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Aug-120%

10%

20%

30%

2% 3% 4% 5% 6%

12%10%

19%

22%

0.03 0.04 0.050.08

0.1

0.19

0.25

Ebook reader Tablet

Rise of e-reading devices>One third of American adults own at least one device

Apps > 50% of adults

Series10%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

22%

29%

38%43%

Sept 2009 May 2010 August 2011 April 2012

% of cell owners who have downloaded apps

• Information becomes pervasive – a “third skin”

• Augmented reality highlights the merger of data world and real world

• Attention zones change– “Continuous partial attention”– Deep dives– Info snacking

Impact on knowledge

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

9%

49%

67%76%

86% 87% 92%

7%8%

25%

48%

61%68% 73%

6%4%

11%

25%

47%49% 57%

1%7%

13%

26%

29%38%

18-29 30-49 50-64 65+

Digital Revolution 3Social networking – 59% of all adults

% of internet users

• Composition and character of people’s social networks change AND they become important channels of learning and influence

• Amateur experts sit aside credentialed experts• Organizations can become “helper nodes” in

people’s networks

Impact on knowledge

6 questions for librarians

1. What “business” are you in?2. What’s the franchise? What’s the commodity?3. What’s the social media/social networking

play?4. What’s the mobile play?5. What’s the gift economy play?6. What is the analytics play? (metrics of

success)

Be not afraid

Thank you!