PewInternet.org The New Environment for Advocates & NGOs 10 fresh realities of the digital age State Department Visitors Program January 17, 2012 Lee Rainie: Director, Pew Internet Project

Digital Revolution 1 Internet (83%) and Broadband at home (67%) 71% 67%

Digital Revolution 2 Social networking – 50% of all adults % of internet users

Digital Revolution 3 Mobile – 84% million Total U.S. population: million 2011

Mobile internet connectors – 63% adults

35% own “smartphones”

New Reality 1) The world is full of networked individuals using networked information Image attribution: Flickrverse, Expanding Ever with New Galaxies Forming Cobalt

New Reality 2) Giant changes in civic culture and mediasphere have created new opportunities for NGOs and activists

New reality 2) Corollary New civic actors are emerging with social media

New reality 2) Corollary Do-it-yourself/hacker ethic of networked individuals can be tapped to fill gaps

New Reality 3) The is no high-tech secret sauce for effective message making

New Reality 3) Corollaries Credibility is assessed through multiple filters – Trusted information sources (including search engines) – Personal beliefs/experiences – Social networks – Aggressive fact checking Yes, bad information hangs around, but it can be attacked in several ways – Recanting – Better information, especially from multiple sources

New Reality 4) Mass-media megaphones still matter to getting a story out, but new messaging opportunities have emerged David Edelman: “Branding in the Digital Age: You’re Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places,” Harvard Business Review apps

New Reality 5) There are stages of engagement with audiences and each has a different weight

New reality 5) Corollaries The social media space is a “fifth estate” with a different civic sensibility Facebook is different from Twitter Social media users are semi-elite, they do not represent everybody Lurkers matter as an audience that is watching and assessing

New Reality 6) Influence is migrating from organizations to networks and new “experts” Traditional experts with new platforms, esp. blogs Amateur experts who are avid contributors – sometimes with tribes New algorithmic authorities

New Reality 6) Corollaries Social networks are more influential and are differently segmented and layered Sentries

New Reality 6) Corollaries Evaluators Social networks are more influential and are differently segmented and layered

New Reality 6) Corollaries Audience Social networks are more influential and are differently segmented and layered

Continuous partial attention to media streams Immersion in deep dives Info-snacking in free moments New Reality 7) The flow of news has changed – and so have people’s attention zones

New Reality 8) All organizations are under more scrutiny and transparency is a new marker of trust Surveillance – powerful watch the ordinary Sousveillance – ordinary watch powerful Coveillance – peers stalk peers

New Reality 9) The age of big data is upon us – and will give new power to analytics

New Reality 10) Critical uncertainties remain The architecture itself Information policies Social norms and attitudes

Thank you!