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.
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.
61% of Facebook users have taken a voluntary break from using the site at one time or another and 27% plan to spend less time on the site this coming year. Even so, two-thirds of online adults are now Facebook users.
Telemarketing calls and spam texts are realities for most cell phone users. Smartphone owners are particularly likely to report dropped phone calls and slow download speeds.
Experts expect more-efficient collaborative environments and new grading schemes; they worry about massive online courses, the shift away from on-campus life