Thursday, April 26, 2012

Pew Internet News: The future of money in a mobile age; Digital differences; New presentations and data sets

The Future of Money in a Mobile Age

future of moneyWithin the next decade, smart-device swiping will have gained mainstream acceptance as a method of payment and could largely replace cash and credit cards for most online and in-store purchases by smartphone and tablet owners, according to a new survey of technology experts and stakeholders.

Many of the people surveyed by Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center and the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project said that the security, convenience and other benefits of “mobile wallet” systems will lead to widespread adoption of these technologies for everyday purchases by 2020.

Others—including some who are generally positive about the future of mobile payments—expect this process to unfold relatively slowly due to a combination of privacy fears, a desire for anonymous payments, demographic inertia, a lack of infrastructure to support widespread adoption, and resistance from those with a financial stake in the existing payment structure.

Report: Digital differences

When the Pew Internet Project first began writing about the role of the internet in American life in 2000, there were stark differences between those who were using the internet and those who were not. Today, differences in internet access still exist among different demographic groups, especially when it comes to access to high-speed broadband at home. The ways in which people connect to the internet are also much more varied today than they were in 2000. As a result, internet access is no longer synonymous with going online with a desktop computer. Read more ...

Presentation: Digital Divides and Bridges: Technology Use Among Youth

Amanda Lenhart spoke to the “Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents” conference at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The conference brought together academics, researchers, non-profits and industry to discuss the effects of media on child mental and physical health and well-being. In her talk, Amanda focused on bringing together data that highlights the demographic differences among groups of youth in their adoption, use, and experiences with technology and social media. While such data may have illustrated what was called a “digital divide” in the past, it now highlights a variety of digital differences among groups of youth. This talk brings together data previously shared in a variety of reports on youth as well as some new analysis.

Presentation: Public libraries in the digital age

ereadingMary Madden and Kathryn Zickuhr presented "Public libraries in the digital age" to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies at their spring meeting. They presented findings on the rise of e-reading, including reading-device ownership and the general reading habits/preferences of Americans.

Their presentation included libraries research fact sheets, including a peek at our research timeline. You can download their handouts here.

Pew Internet research in the news

[AUDIO] Tweens and Teens Online: Amanda Lenhart on The Kojo Nnamdi Show
The Kojo Nnamdi Show, April 19

Joined by Joseph Viola, school psychologist and professor of psychology at GWU, and Sharon Cindrich, parenting author and columnist, Amanda Lenhart discussed the intensity and impact of youth use of social media as well as the challenges that parents and schools face in balancing the risks and opportunities associated with teens' use of online social spaces. Listen to the entire segment here.

Mobile Payments May Replace Cash, Credit Cards by 2020 [STUDY]
Mashable, April 17

Local news enthusiasts: Pew research hints at opportunities for ethnic, community media
Knight Digital Media Center, April 17

New data sets published:

August 2011 - Apps and Adult SNS Climate

Our August 2011 tracking survey contains data on apps usage for tablets and cell phones, as well as adult data on the climate of social networking sites.

July 2011 - Teens and Online Behavior

Our 2011 teens survey contains data about teens' experiences online and perceptions of the online climate.

Upcoming presentation:

News in a networked world » At the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, Lee Rainie will discuss the Project’s latest findings about how people use the internet, smartphones, and social media tools to get news, share news, and create news. He will describe how the very definition of news is expanding in the age of “me media.” He will also discuss the Project’s new research about how people use different platforms to get news about different topics: that is, they use different media channels to learn about the weather and learn about local government. You can view or download his slides here.

See all presentations »

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The Pew Internet & American Life Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank"that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Pew Internet & American Life Project explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. Support for the project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.