Introduction Americans’ relationship to the news is being transformed in several directions thanks to the new tools and affordances of technology. Encounters with news are becoming more personal as users customize their experience and take charge of the flow of news into their lives. News is becoming a shared social experience as people exchange links […]
About the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Project produces reports exploring […]
Bloggers weren’t very interested in the politics of the big Washington bi-partisan health care summit last week. But they engaged in a spirited debate over a health care warning issued by some pediatricians. On Twitter, several different Web-focused subjects gained the most attention. And Tiger Woods’ media mea culpa drew more than half a million views on YouTube.
The extent to which citizens go online to access data on the business of government For many good government advocates, providing citizens with access to vast stores of previously-unavailable government data represents the internet’s greatest promise for improving the relationship between the government and its constituents. To measure the extent to which citizens go online […]
Free versus pay? When it comes to music, bloggers last week strongly championed free. On Twitter, strong views over privacy issues surfaced when Google released its new social networking feature, Google Buzz. And a conversation between Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly attracted over a million views on YouTube.
How Americans use government websites On Barack Obama’s first full day in office, the administration released an executive order establishing an Open Government Directive. The order offered a vision for government organized around three principles: Government should be transparent, with information about agency operations and decisions available to the public online. Government should be participatory, […]
Following an interview with one of the leading scientists in the so-called “Climate-gate” controversy, bloggers engaged in a passionate exchange over the merits of climate change science. On Twitter, an airline’s treatment of an overweight celebrity was the top story. And on YouTube, the tragic death of an Olympic luger was a leading driver of traffic.