Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Research Center, presented this material on October 29, 2020 to scholars, policy makers and civil society advocates convened by New York University’s Governance Lab. He described findings from two canvassings of hundreds of technology and democracy experts that captured their views about the future of democracy and the future of social and civic innovation by the year 2030.
Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Research Center, presented this material on October 14, 2020 at a gathering sponsored by the International Institute of Communications. He described the most recent Center public opinion surveys since mid-March, covering the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, racial justice protests that began in the summer, and the final stages of the 2020 presidential election campaign.
A majority of experts canvassed say significant reforms aimed at correcting problems in democratic institutions and representation will take place. But they are divided about whether this will lead to positive outcomes for the public.
Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research, presented a synthesis of the Pew Research Center’s growing explorations of issues related to trust, facts and democracy at a forum hosted by the International Institute of Communications on December 5, 2018.
Many experts say lack of trust won’t hinder increased public reliance on the internet. Some expect trust to grow as tech and regulatory changes arise; others think it will worsen or maybe change entirely.
Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms did not provide new outlets for the discussion of the Snowden-NSA revelations. People who thought their social media friends disagreed with them were less likely to discuss the issues in person and online.