Digital Divide

At the same time, the contours of connectivity are shifting: One-in-five Americans (20%) are now ‘smartphone only’ internet users at home.

A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.

People deal in varying ways with tensions about what information to trust and how much they want to learn. Some are interested and engaged with information; others are wary and stressed.

As the iPhone turns 10 years old this week, take a look back at the broader story about the ways mobile devices have changed how people interact.

Lee Rainie spoke on May 10, 2017, to the American Bar Association’s Section of Science and Technology Law about the rise of the Internet of Things and its implications for privacy and cybersecurity.

Nearly two-thirds of those age 65 and older go online and a record share now own smartphones – although many seniors remain relatively divorced from digital life.

As robots, automation and artificial intelligence perform more tasks and there is massive disruption of jobs, experts say a wider array of education and skills-building programs will be created to meet new demands.

In each of 14 countries surveyed in 2016, nearly all people reported owning a mobile phone. But the shares who own a smartphone vary considerably.

Even as a growing share of disabled Americans report going online or owning a smartphone, the digital divide between those who have a disability and those who don’t remains large.

India and China have long had a competitive relationship and have emerged as major economic powers. But in the digital space, China has a clear advantage.