Gadget Ownership
The cell phone — by a wide margin — is the most commonly owned piece of personal technology. Three-quarters of the public own a computer and nearly half own an mp3 player, while e-books remain a niche item. The average adult owns three of the seven gadgets asked about in the survey.
Video Calling and Video Chat
Almost a fifth of American adults (19%) have tried video calling either online or via their cell phones. This translates into nearly a quarter (23%) of internet users and 7% of cell-phone owners who have participated in video calls, chats or teleconferences.
Attention Shoppers: Online Product Research
Nearly six-in-ten adults have done research online about the products and services they buy, and about a quarter have posted comments or reviews online about the things they buy.
A New Phase in Our Digital Lives
Some people describe it as The End of the Internet, though that is probably a misnomer. Others, at the risk of cliché, might call it News 3.0.
Older Adults and Social Media
The number of older adults on Facebook and other social networking sites has roughly doubled in the past year. About half of internet users ages 50-64 and one-in-four users ages 65 and older now log onto social networks.
How Young Latinos Communicate with Friends in the Digital Age
While they still trail their non-Latino counterparts, young Latinos make extensive use of mobile technology. But use of cell phones and text messages differs notably among young Hispanics by nativity.
Latino Digital Divide: Native Born vs. Foreign Born
While rates of internet and cell phone use among native-born Hispanics are relatively high, technology use for the full population of Hispanics continues to lag behind the use rates of the non-Hispanic population.
More Cell Phone Owners Use an App for That
While cell phone ownership has remained stable, today’s users are taking advantage of a much wider range of their phones’ capabilities (pictures, internet, music, etc.) compared with 2009.
The Future of Online Socializing
The social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts. Email, social networks, and other online tools offer low friction opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives and lower traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time.
The Future of Cloud Computing
Technology experts and stakeholders say they expect internet users will ‘live mostly in the cloud’ in 2020 and not on the desktop, working through cyberspace-based applications accessed through networked devices.
