Post on 13-Dec-2015
THE NEW INFORMATION ECOLOGY
Lee RainieDirector – Pew Internet ProjectColorado Library AssociationDenver11.20.09
New information ecology November 20, 2009 2
"If you plopped a library down. . .30 years from now. . .there would be
cobwebs growing everywhere because people would look at it and wouldn't think of it as a legitimate institution
because it would be so far behind. . ."-- Experienced library user.
1996 Benton Foundation report: “Buildings, books, and bytes”
New information ecology November 20, 2009 3
“Many Americans would just as soon turn their local libraries
into museums and recruit retirees to staff them.”
1996 Benton Foundation report: “Buildings, books, and bytes”
New information ecology November 20, 2009 4
New information ecosystem: Then and Now
Industrial Age
Info was:
Scarce
Expensive
Institutionally oriented
Designed for consumption
Information Age
Info is:
Abundant
Cheap
Personally oriented
Designed for participation
New information ecology November 20, 2009 5
2000
46% of adults use internet
5% with broadband at home
50% own a cell phone
0% connect to internet wirelessly
<10% use “cloud”
= slow, stationary connections built around my
computer
The internet is the asteroid: Then and now
2009
77-79% of adults use internet
63% with broadband at home
85% own a cell phone
54-56% connect to internet wirelessly
>two-thirds use “cloud”
= fast, mobile connections built around outside servers
and storage
New information ecology November 20, 2009 6
Media ecology – then (industrial age)Product Route to home Display Local storage
TV stations phone TV Cassette/ 8-track
broadcast TV radio
broadcast radio stereo Vinyl album
News mail
Advertising newspaper delivery phone
paper
Radio Stations non-electronic
Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co
New information ecology November 20, 2009 7
Media ecology – now (information age)Product Route to home Display Local storage
cable TiVo (PVR) VCRTV stations DSL TV Satellite radio playerInfo wireless/phone radio DVD“Daily me” broadcast TV PC Web-based storage content books iPod /MP3 server/ TiVo (PVR)Cable Nets broadcast radio stereo PCWeb sites satellite monitor web storage/serversLocal news mail headphones CD/CD-ROMContent from express delivery pager satellite player cell phone memory individuals iPod / storage portable gamer MP3 player / iPodPeer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFI cell phone pagers - PDAsAdvertising newspaper delivery non-electronic cable boxRadio stations camcorder/camera PDA/Palm game console
game console paperSatellite radio e-reader / Kindle storage sticks/disks
e-reader/Kindle
Adapted from Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co
47% of adults own laptops – up from 30% in 2006
37% of adults own DVRs – up from 3% in 2002
18% of adults own personal gaming devices
37% of adults own game consoles
45% of adults own MP3 players – up from 11% in 2005
New information ecology November 20, 2009 8
Media ecology – now (information age)Product Route to home Display Local storage
cable TiVo (PVR) VCRTV stations DSL TV Satellite radio playerInfo wireless/phone radio DVD“Daily me” broadcast TV PC Web-based storage content books iPod /MP3 server/ TiVo (PVR)Cable Nets broadcast radio stereo PCWeb sites satellite monitor web storage/serversLocal news mail headphones CD/CD-ROMContent from express delivery pager satellite player cell phone memory individuals iPod / storage portable gamer MP3 player / iPodPeer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFI cell phone pagers - PDAsAdvertising newspaper delivery non-electronic cable boxRadio stations camcorder/camera PDA/Palm game console
game console paperSatellite radio e-reader / Kindle storage sticks/disks
e-reader/Kindle
Adapted from Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co
… and this all affects social networks1) their composition
2) the way people use them3) their importance
4) the way librarians can play a part in them
New information ecology November 20, 2009 9
Behold the idea of networked individualismBarry Wellman – University of Toronto
The turn from groups to social networks = a new social operating system
New information ecology November 20, 2009 10
Big societal forces pushing us toward networked individualism
• Affluence and affordable technology• Expanding consumer options• Income, wealth, job volatility• Rise of free agency and freelancing• Changes in family composition, roles,
responsibilities• Trends towards management of
retirement and health care• Rise of DIY politics and religion
New information ecology November 20, 2009 11
Why good social networks (and social networking) matter
• Healthier
• Wealthier
• Happier
• More civically engaged = better communities
10 ways digital technology has changed things for your patrons and their networking
behavior
Network ecosystem change – 1
Volume of information grows
-- Chris Anderson
Hal Varian
Network ecosystem change – 2
Variety of information and sources of information grow
Network ecosystem change – 3
Velocity of information increases and smart mobs emerge
-- Howard Rheingold
Clay Shirky
Network ecosystem change – 4
Venues of intersecting with information and people multiply and the availability of information expands to all hours of the day and all places we are
-- Nielsen Company
Network ecosystem change – 5
People’s vigilance for information changes in two directions:
1) attention is truncated (Linda Stone)
2) attention is elongated (Andrew Keen; Terry Fisher)
Network ecosystem change – 6
The vibrance and immersive qualities of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact
-- Metaverse Roadmap Project
1) Virtual Worlds
Network ecosystem change – 6
The vibrance and immersive qualities of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact
-- Metaverse Roadmap Project
2) Mirror Worlds
Network ecosystem change – 6
The vibrance and immersive qualities of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact
-- Metaverse Roadmap Project
3) Augmented Reality
Network ecosystem change – 6
The vibrance and immersive qualities of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact
-- Metaverse Roadmap Project
4) Life-logging-- Gordon Bell
Network ecosystem change – 7
Valence (relevance) of information improves – search and customization get better as we create the “Daily Me” and “Daily Us” – Nicholas Negroponte
Network ecosystem change – 8
The voice of information democratizes and the visibility of new creators is enhanced. Identity and privacy change.
-- William Dutton
Network ecosystem change – 9
Voting on and ventilating about information proliferates as tagging, rating, and commenting occurs and collective intelligence asserts itself
-- Henry JenkinsDavid Weinberger
31% of adult internet users have rated a person, product, or service online
Information sharing and evaluation
Network ecosystem change – 10
Social networks become more vivid and meaningful. Media-making is part of social networking. “Networked individualism” takes hold.
-- Barry Wellman
>68% of online teens have created their own profile on a social network site
----
47% of online adults have such profiles
Content creation
33% of college students keep blogs and regularly post
54% read blogs----11% of online adults
have a blog36% read them
Content creation
Content creation
15% of online adults say they remix content they find online into their own artistic creations
New information ecology November 20, 2009 36
Networked Individuals … have a different …
• Sense of information availability – it’s ambient
• Sense of time – it’s oriented around “continuous partial attention”
• Sense of community and connection – it’s about “absent presence”
• Sense of the rewards and challenges of networking for social, economic, political, and cultural purposes – new layers and new audiences
New information ecology November 20, 2009 37
Technology has helped people change their networks
• Bigger
• Looser
• More segmented
• More layered
• Facilitate greater freedom
• Require more work
• More important as sources of support, filters, curators, audience
New information ecology November 20, 2009 38
The ways libraries can become nodes in
people’s social networks
New information ecology November 20, 2009 39
8 tips on how to be a node in a social network
• Think like a friend
• Remember your strengths and play to them by being an expert, a filter, and a recommender (linker)
• Be aware that your audience is bigger than the available evidence provides – lurkers and future arrivals are part of the mix
• Look for opportunities to provide support to users and chances to build communities with your material
New information ecology November 20, 2009 40
8 tips on how to be a node in a social network
• Help people cope with technology
• Participate in the Web 2.0 world
• Embrace the move towards mobility, constant connectivity, perpetual contact
– This changes the realities of time and space and presence
• Ask for help/feedback
New information ecology November 20, 2009 41
A new pattern of communication and influence built around social networks and participatory media
The four-step flow of information
• attention
• acquisition
• assessment
• action
New information ecology November 20, 2009 42
How do you….
• get his/her attention?
– leverage your traditional services
– offer alerts, updates, feeds
– be available in relevant places
– find pathways through his/her social network
New information ecology November 20, 2009 43
How do you….
• help him/her acquire information?– be findable in a “long tail” world– pursue new distribution methods– offer “link love” for selfish
reasons– participate in the conversation
about your work
New information ecology November 20, 2009 44
How do you….
• help him/her assess information?
– be transparent, link-friendly, and archive everything
– aggregate the best related work
– when you make mistakes, seek forgiveness
New information ecology November 20, 2009 45
How do you….
• assist him/her act on information?
– offer opportunities for feedback
– offer opportunities for remixing
– offer opportunities for community building
– be open to the wisdom of crowds
New information ecology November 20, 2009 46
Thank you!
Lee RainieDirectorPew Internet & American Life Project1615 L Street NWSuite 700Washington, DC 20036
Email: Lrainie@pewinternet.orgTwitter: http://twitter.com/lrainie 202-419-4500