Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The hit song “Call Me Maybe” entered the news realm last week as a video of President Obama seemingly singing the tune went viral. The video also inspired numerous imitators, displaying the power of the online “meme.”
Local news enthusiasts follow a diverse set of topics, but rely heavily on local newspapers to keep them informed, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and Internet & American Life Project that examined the ways people get news and information about 16 different topics, ranging from breaking news to weather.
These local news enthusiasts follow a diverse set of topics but rely heavily on local newspapers to keep them informed
The migration of audiences toward digital news advanced to a new level in 2011 and early 2012, the era of mobile and multidigital devices. More than three-quarters of U.S. adults own laptop or desktop computers, a number that has been stable for some years.1 Now, in addition, 44% of adults own a smartphone, and the number of tablet owners grew by about 50% since the summer of 2011, to 18% of Americans over age 18.
Perhaps no topic in technology attracted more attention in 2011 than the rise of social media and its potential impact on news. “If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing news may be among the most important of the next,” we wrote in a May 2011 report analyzing online news behavior called Navigating News Online.
The sale of the photo networking site Instagram to Facebook for $1 billion gained attention on both blogs and Twitter last week as users were startled by the large price tag. Also, three separate media controversies kept the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin case in the news six weeks after the incident occurred.
Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research for the Pew Research Center and president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, explores the threats and opportunities in the field of survey research, and discusses steps that can be taken to help keep survey research relevant for democracy.
The biggest religion stories during 2011 centered on tensions over Islam and the U.S. presidential campaign, with more than half of the politically-focused coverage involving Republican hopeful Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith, according to a new study.
The impending release of Google Drive and looming changes at Google+ triggered a lively online discussion last week as bloggers generally seemed to welcome these new developments. On Twitter, it was another big week for pop stars while a tragic car accident in Japan registered as the most viewed news video.
With digital ad revenue projected to overtake all other platforms by 2016, it is the key to the financial future of news. Are news organizations transitioning their legacy advertisers to online platforms? A PEJ report analyzing more than 5,000 ads from 22 news outlets offers answers.
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