Tag Archives: Pew Internet Project

New Pew Internet report looks at teen gaming and civic effects

During my last six months in DC, I worked almost exclusively on the Pew Internet Project’s most recent report, Teens, Video Games and Civics, which was released Tuesday. This report looks at the gaming activities of 12-17 year-olds in the U.S.: the types of games they play, how they play them, and the social aspect of gaming. Furthermore, the report found positive connections between gameplay and civic behavior.

Having been a gamer since about age 6 when I would play Space Invaders and Breakthrough on my parents’ Atari, this report is very near and dear to me. Gaming is now ubiquitous — 97% of teens play video games. this means that girls are now playing games about as often as boys, which was certainly not the case 20 years ago. I remember being one of the only girls in my gradeschool who actively played video games on a regular basis; while it didn’t seem to bother me at the time (because finishing Ninja Gaiden was too important!), I am heartened that kids share games to a larger degree now.

Based on the data in this survey, I think we can safely say that video games are not the devil-spawn that some more of the more outspoken conservatives like to proclaim. Gaming, like everything else out there, has a good and a bad side, but in my opinion, the good tends to outweigh the bad. Kids who game are not missing out on life, but are instead interacting with their peers, and in some cases, learning from their experiences and getting more involved with their community.

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New blog post on Pew Internet Project site

My latest post is up on the Pew Internet website. This one considers my master’s thesis research in light of the Project’s recent report on the impact of technology on teens’ writing havits, which I have previously blogged about here. Check it out.

For my master’s thesis at Georgetown University, I was interested in how 21st century communication technologies are changing the ways in which people interact with members of their social networks. Specifically, I focused my research on how Facebook is altering the methods users employ to build and maintain a network of friends. This research was facilitated by a survey of 644 Georgetown undergraduates on their uses of various communication technologies, and especially the internet, in keeping connected with others.

I recently began thinking of my research in light of Pew’s recent Writing, Technology and Teens report, and saw several interesting connections between the two. Both studies focus on digital natives, or those users who have had access to many of these newer communication technologies since a young age: Pew’s report looks at 12-17 year olds, while my research was limited to college undergraduates ages 18-25. Furthermore, both studies consider the implications of technology on communication. Therefore, the question that arose in my mind was, do the trends we found in our Pew report among younger teens also apply to young adults? [More…]

OMG Mom, I’m talking to my BFF: New Pew Internet Report gets to the heart of teen writing

Ahh kids. So cute, aren’t they? These little “digital native”-buggers take to new technology like a fat kid takes I would take to an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Teens and young adults are some of the most Internet-savvy people out there, and they have often mastered new gadgets before their parents have mastered the “on/off” switch.” For example, think back to last summer when a 17-year-old boy managed to hack into and unlock an iPhone. I don’t even think I’d be able to get the case off the phone, and I consider myself relatively intelligent when it comes to new technologies.

So, the question then becomes, what kind of impacts are these new technologies having on the current generation of young people? Will the technology help them become smarter, more astute adults who know a lot more about more things than their parents’ generation? Or will they degrade into a mass of acronym-spewing, proper-English-devoid, short-conversation imbeciles? Case in point, a fabulous Verizon commercial that debuted relatively recently:

This question is the focus of the Pew Internet Project’s latest report, Writing, Technology, and Teens, which considers the methods teens use to write, both in formal and informal situations, and how the Internet and more abbreviated forms of communication (e.g., emoticons, lack of proper grammar like capitalizations and punctuation, and the use of abbreviations such as LOL, etc.), are creeping into students’ more formal writing endeavors.

This is a great read if you have any interest on the impact of technology on youth. For a brief summary of findings, check out the Associated Press’ article on the report here.

Massive UK study on social networking site use

Ofcom, the “independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries,” released a 63-page report today on social networking sites. I’m reading it right now, and so far, it looks to be a great mirror to research being conducted at Pew Internet on social networking sites, especially research on young people’s use of the sites.

Here are some of the big stats the report reveals:

  • 49% of children 8-17 have an online profile
  • 22% of 16+ have an online profile
  • On average adults have profiles on 1.6 sites
  • 63% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Bebo
  • 37% of 8 to 17-year-olds with profile use MySpace
  • 18% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Facebook
  • 59% of 8 to 17-year-olds use social networks to make new friends
  • 16% of parents do not know if their child’s profile is visible to all
  • 33% of parents say they set no rules for their children’s use of social networks
  • 43% of children say their parents set no rules for use of social networks

Check out a .pdf of the whole report here.

Check out some of Pew’s recent reports related to this topic here and here.

New blog post on Pew Internet Project website

My latest “masterpiece” resides on the Pew Internet site here.

Want a little taste? Well here’s a scoop of yummy mobile Internet goodness:

John Horrigan’s recent data memo on mobile internet access spotlights a growing trend: consumers are increasingly relying on mobile technologies (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, etc.) to stay connected on the go. In the memo, Horrigan cites recent Pew Internet data showing that Americans now list their cell phones as the most difficult technology to give up. At the same time, the percentage of consumers saying they would have a hard time giving up their Blackberry or other wireless email device has increased six-fold in the last five years, from 6% of American adults in 2002 to 36% in 2007.

These data support current trends within the business sector, and recent reports from some of the country’s biggest technology companies back up Pew’s findings. Americans want the freedom to access the internet anywhere and at any time, and technology is currently evolving to meet this demand. [More…]

New blog post on Pew Internet Project website

I seem to be blogging everywhere but on this site as of late. Well, that’s what happens when you agree to do too much “real” work and don’t have any time left over for “fun” work, like blogging on this site.

Here’s my latest Pew Internet project blog, which came out of a data memo I wrote on the major predictions related to technology in 2008.

New Pew Internet blog post: getting “googly” wit it

Ok ok, so I just made up the word googly in a lame attempt to combine Google and jiggy. Sue me.

Anyway, my latest blog post is up on PIP’s website, offering my personal experience with googling my name. This is in reference to our recent PIP report, “Digital Footprints,” which contains data on how individuals manage their online identities, including data specifically on googling oneself, as well as googling other people (i.e., potential employees, first dates, ex-boyfriends, random people you’re stalking, ex-boyfriends you’re stalking, etc. You get the point).

Digital Footprints report now live on Pew Internet Project website

My first report (it’s not really my report, but I’m a coauthor) was published today on Pew Internet’s site.

What do we mean by digital footprints, you ask? Here’s a brief overview:

Internet users are becoming more aware of their digital footprint; 47% have searched for information about themselves online, up from just 22% five years ago. However, few monitor their online presence with great regularity. Just 3% of self-searchers report that they make a regular habit of it and 74% have checked up on their digital footprints only once or twice.

Indeed, most internet users are not concerned about the amount of information available about them online, and most do not take steps to limit that information. Fully 60% of internet users say they are not worried about how much information is available about them online. Similarly, the majority of online adults (61%) do not feel compelled to limit the amount of information that can be found about them online.

Check out the full report here.

New blog post on Pew Internet Project website

Here’s my latest post, which looks at some recent reports linking broadband expansion to decreased greenhouse gas emissions. Save the planet, get broadband! And since it is the Word of the Year, let me also add w00t!

Could broadband help the environment?
Environmentally friendly business practices have become commonplace over the last decade, and the technology sector is no exception. With organizations like Gartner and publications like E-Commerce Times listing Green IT among their top trends for 2008, many people may be wondering what they can do to make their technology usage more environmentally friendly. (Read more)…