GOVERNING AS SOCIAL NETWORKING Lee Rainie – Director Pew Internet Project IRMCO – Cambridge, Maryland April 22, 2009

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

% of adults use internet 5% with broadband at home 50% own a cell phone <5% are content creators 0% connect wirelessly <10% use “cloud” = slow, stationary connections built around my computer, simple chat and information exchange The internet is the asteroid: Then and now % of adults use internet 57% with broadband at home 82% own a cell phone ~40% are content creators 62% connect wirelessly >53% use “cloud” = fast, mobile connections built around outside servers and storage and social / civic engagement

Personal ecosystem changes

E-government Media ecology – then Product Route to home Display Local storage TV stations phone TVCassette/ 8-track broadcast TV radio broadcast radio stereoVinyl album News mail Advertising newspaper delivery phone paper Radio Stationsnon-electronic Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co

E-government Media ecology – now Product Route to home Display Local storage cableTiVo (PVR)VCR TV stations DSLTV Info wireless/phoneradioDVD “Daily me” broadcast TVPCWeb-based storage content iPod /MP3server/ TiVo (PVR) Cable Nets broadcast radiostereoPC Web sites satellitemonitorweb storage Local news mailheadphonesCD/CD-ROM Content from express deliverypager individuals iPod / storageportable gamerMP3 player / iPod Peer-to-peer subcarriers / WIFIcell phonepagers - PDAs Advertising newspaper deliveryphonecable box Radio stations camcorder/cameraPDA/Palmgame console game console paper Satellite radionon-electronicstorage sticks/disks Adapted from Tom Wolzien, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co

E-government Personal ecosystem changes 1.Volume of information grows 2.Variety of information increases 3.Velocity of information speeds up 4.The times and places to experience media enlarge 5.People’s vigilance for information expands AND contracts

E-government Personal ecosystem changes 6.The immersive qualities of media are more compelling 7.Relevance of information improves 8.The number of information “voices” explodes – and becomes more findable 9.Voting and ventilating are enabled 10.Social networks are more vivid

A different personal ecosystem and a different sense of … Expectation about access to information and people Persistence of the “digital me” and “digital you” Place … and time … and presence with others Possibilities of conversation and community -- scalability Personal efficacy Boundaries and contexts – public and private Social networking possibilities – new layers, new audiences

News ecosystem changes

E-government million 64 million

E-government The internet and political news/information % who use the internet to get info about the campaign

Percent of adults

E-government People-Press news consumer typology

Political ecosystem changes

E-government

E-government % of adults have watched politically related video --- Up from 13% in 2004 Other activities

E-government % of adults have used social network sites for political news and information Other activities

The process of citizen decision-making and problem-solving changes

E-government Background of research Institute for Museum and Library Services grant UIC partnership Government Printing Office query 231/report_display.asp

E-government Basic question How do people get information to help them solve problems that could have a government connection or be aided by government resources?

Problem – 1 (… in the past two years)Yes Dealt with a serious illness or other health condition, either yourself or someone close to you 45% Made a decision about schooling, paying for education, or getting training for yourself or for a child 39 Needed information about property taxes or income taxes 34 Changed jobs, retired, or started your own business 25 Needed information about Medicare / Medicaid / food stamps 23

Problem – 2 (… in the past two years)Yes Needed information about Social Security / military benefits 20% Wanted information about voter registration or a government action, program, or policy19 Look for help from local government with a problem like traffic or schools 15 Involved in a criminal matter, a lawsuit, or other legal action 10 Became a citizen / helped someone with immigration 5

79.5% had experienced at least one problem = Approx. 169 million adults and that is the target population for this research

E-government What sources did you use for most recent problem? 58% of those who had recently experienced one of those problems said they used the internet to get help (not including secondary internet users) 53% said they turned to professionals such as doctors, lawyers or financial experts 45% turned to friends and family members

E-government What sources did you use …? (2) 36% consulted newspapers, magazines, books 34% directly contacted a government office or agency 16% consult television and radio 13% went to the public library 11% used another source not mentioned in survey

E-government Who turns to government agencies for problem solving? 40-somethings = 40% College grads = 37% Internet users = 35% No gender or racial/ethnic variance No income variance

Source of info. HealthEducationTaxes Medicare/ Medicaid Change job status Social Security Internet 46%77%60%45%66%41% Professionals 83%40%48%43%27%38% Family or Friends 51%50%26%28%58%31% Print sources 37%38%32%33%43%27% Government Agency 15%27%56%60%27%71% TV or Radio 16%15%21%14% Library 10%20%10% 11%7% Problem

Search success in problem solving Very SuccessfulA lot of information Government agency65%49% Public library64%36% Internet63%55% Professionals / experts 61%NA Newspapers, mags, books 57%NA Family and friends56%NA TV and radio55%NA

E-government Average searcher/decider Used 2-3 sources of information – not an either/or world Relied on an “outside” human being somewhere in the process to find or assess information – so humans were filters and assessors of information Did not “self diagnose” and “self medicate” – relied on an expert sources before making the final decision

There is a new pattern of communication, influence, and support in a world of networked individuals

E-government The two-step flow of communication has become a four-step “cycle” Attention Acquisition Assessment Action

E-government How do you…. get a citizen’s attention? – leverage your traditional platforms – be a “news node” - offer alerts, updates, feeds – be available in relevant places on his/her terms, not just yours – find pathways through his/her social network

E-government How do you…. help a citizen acquire information? – be findable in a search-driven, “long tail” world – pursue new distribution methods – figure out your role in the “link economy” –participate in the conversation about your work

E-government How do you…. help a citizen assess information? – be transparent – be an archivist – when you make mistakes, seek forgiveness – decide if you can be a trusted aggregator

E-government How do you…. assist a citizen act on information? – offer opportunities for feedback – offer opportunities for remixing – offer opportunities for community building – be open to the wisdom of crowds

E-government How are we doing in the Twittersphere? “What are the metrics for citizen engagement beyond levels and diversity of participation?” Usability and navigation Feedback Buzz and participation Aid in social networking Aid in problem solving Trust

E-government Thank you! Lee Rainie Director Pew Internet & American Life Project 1615 L Street NW Suite 700 Washington, DC