Category: Digital Culture

Social Media Use Continues to Rise in Developing Countries but Plateaus Across Developed Ones

The Pew Research Center has released Social Media Use Continues to Rise in Developing Countries but Plateaus Across Developed Ones.

Here's an excerpt:

Across the 39 countries, a median of 75% say they either use the internet occasionally or own a smartphone, our definition of internet use. In many advanced economies, nine-in-ten or more use the internet, led by South Korea (96%). . . .

Across 39 countries, a median of 53% say they use online social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. However, that figure conceals large differences around the world, and the relationship between social media use and national wealth is not as strong as it is for overall internet use and smartphone ownership.

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 9 | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Declining Majority of Online Adults Say the Internet Has Been Good for Society

The Pew Research Center has released Declining Majority of Online Adults Say the Internet Has Been Good for Society .

Here's an excerpt:

A sizable majority of online adults (70%) continue to believe the internet has been a good thing for society. Yet the share of online adults saying this has declined by a modest but still significant 6 percentage points since early 2014, when the Center first asked the question. This is balanced by a corresponding increase (from 8% to 14%) in the share of online adults who say the internet’s societal impact is a mix of good and bad.

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 9 | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

The Future of Well-Being in a Tech-Saturated World

The Pew Research Center has released The Future of Well-Being in a Tech-Saturated World .

Here's an excerpt:

In light of these mounting concerns, Pew Research Center and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center queried technology experts, scholars and health specialists on this question: Over the next decade, how will changes in digital life impact people’s overall well-being physically and mentally?

Some 1,150 experts responded in this non-scientific canvassing. Some 47% of these respondents predict that individuals' well-being will be more helped than harmed by digital life in the next decade, while 32% say people's well-being will be more harmed than helped. The remaining 21% predict there will not be much change in people’s well-being compared to now.

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 8 | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"11% of Americans Don’t Use the Internet. Who Are They?"

The Pew Research Center has released "11% of Americans Don't Use the Internet. Who Are They?" by Monica Anderson et al.

Here's an excerpt:

A third of non-internet users (34%) did not go online because they had no interest in doing so or did not think the internet was relevant to their lives. Another 32% of non-users said the internet was too difficult to use, including 8% of this group who said they were "too old to learn." Cost was also a barrier for some adults who were offline—19% cited the expense of internet service or owning a computer

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 8 | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Social Media Use in 2018

The Pew Research Center has released Social Media Use in 2018.

Here's an excerpt:

Facebook and YouTube dominate this landscape, as notable majorities of U.S. adults use each of these sites. At the same time, younger Americans (especially those ages 18 to 24) stand out for embracing a variety of platforms and using them frequently. Some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day. Similarly, 71% of Americans in this age group now use Instagram and close to half (45%) are Twitter users.

Research Data Curation Bibliography, Version 8 | Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

The Fate of Online Trust in the Next Decade

The Pew Research Center has released The Fate of Online Trust in the Next Decade .

Here's an excerpt:

Many experts say lack of trust will not be a barrier to increased public reliance on the internet. Those who are hopeful that trust will grow expect technical and regulatory change will combat users’ concerns about security and privacy. Those who have doubts about progress say people are inured to risk, addicted to convenience and will not be offered alternatives to online interaction. Some expect the very nature of trust will change.

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

The Internet of Things Connectivity Binge: What Are the Implications?

The Pew Research Centerhas released The Internet of Things Connectivity Binge: What Are the Implications? .

Here's an excerpt:

Researchers have been showing how easy it is to hack cars, voting machines and power plants. They have demonstrated ransomware exploits against home thermostats and exposed vulnerabilities in implanted heart pacemakers. In one paper, "IoT Goes Nuclear," analysts showed how a flaw in the design of smart lightbulbs could be used for a "bricking attack" that kills all of a city's traffic lights. . . .

Thus, the question: Could security vulnerabilities that become evident as the IoT rolls out prompt people, businesses and government to avoid or withdraw from certain online connectivity options? In summer 2016, Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center conducted a large canvassing of technologists, scholars, practitioners, strategic thinkers and other leaders, asking them to react to this framing of the issue.

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Europeana Photography Launched

Europeana has launched Europeana Photography.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

Today, we're proud to launch Europeana Photography, our latest thematic collection. Photography lovers and researchers can explore more than 2 million historical photographs, contributed by over 50 European institutions in 34 countries.

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults

The Pew Research Center has released Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults .

Here's an excerpt:

At the same time America is graying, recent Pew Research Center surveys find that seniors are also moving towards more digitally connected lives. Around four-in-ten (42%) adults ages 65 and older now report owning smartphones, up from just 18% in 2013. Internet use and home broadband adoption among this group have also risen substantially. Today, 67% of seniors use the internet—a 55-percentage-point increase in just under two decades. And for the first time, half of older Americans now have broadband at home.

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Why We Read Wikipedia"

Philipp Singer et al. have self-archived "Why We Read Wikipedia."

Here's an excerpt:

The goal of this paper is to fill this gap by combining a survey of Wikipedia readers with a log-based analysis of user activity. Based on an initial series of user surveys, we build a taxonomy of Wikipedia use cases along several dimensions, capturing users' motivations to visit Wikipedia, the depth of knowledge they are seeking, and their knowledge of the topic of interest prior to visiting Wikipedia. Then, we quantify the prevalence of these use cases via a large-scale user survey conducted on live Wikipedia with almost 30,000 responses. . . . Finally, we match survey responses to the respondents' digital traces in Wikipedia's server logs, enabling the discovery of behavioral patterns associated with specific use cases.

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

How Americans Encounter, Recall and Act Upon Digital News

The Pew Research Center has released How Americans Encounter, Recall and Act Upon Digital News.

Here's an excerpt:

When asked how they arrived at news content in their most recent web interaction, online news consumers were about equally likely to get news by going directly to a news website (36% of the times they got news, on average) as getting it through social media (35%). They were less likely to access news through emails, text messages or search engines. . . .

Among the five pathways studied, news instances spurred by emails and texts from friends or family elicited the most activity; nearly three-quarters (73%) of these instances were acted upon in some way. That outpaced even social media and direct visits to a news organization’s website, where a follow-up action occurred in about half of news instances (53% and 47%, respectively).

Digital Curation and Digital Preservation Works | Open Access Works | Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Digital Culture 2015

Nesta, the Arts Council England, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council have released Digital Culture 2015.

Here's an excerpt from the announcement:

The 2015 report provides analysis on the period 2013-2015, giving a detailed sense of how the picture is changing for arts and cultural organisations. This year's report shows that while the positive impact of technology on organisations remains high, there is a gap between the ambition of arts and cultural organisations in relation to digital technology and their ability to execute on those ambitions.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Americans’ Views on Mobile Etiquette

The Pew Research Center has released Americans' Views on Mobile Etiquette.

Here's an excerpt:

This Pew Research Center report explores newly released survey findings about Americans' views about the appropriateness of cellphone use in public places and in social gatherings and the way those views sometimes conflict with their own behaviors.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Intertwingled: The Work and Influence of Ted Nelson

Springer has published Intertwingled: The Work and Influence of Ted Nelson as an open access book.

Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia page on Ted Nelson:

Theodor Holm Nelson (born June 17, 1937) is an American pioneer of information technology, philosopher, and sociologist. He coined the terms "hypertext" and "hypermedia" in 1963, and published them in 1965.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"15% of Americans Don’t Use The Internet. Who Are They?"

Monica Anderson and Andrew Perrin have published "15% of Americans Don't Use The Internet. Who Are They?" in Fact Tank.

Here's an excerpt:

The latest Pew Research analysis also shows that internet non-adoption is correlated to a number of demographic variables, including age, educational attainment, household income, race and ethnicity, and community type.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Mapping the Digital Divide

The Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the Executive Office of the President, has released Mapping the Digital Divide.

Here's an excerpt:

Overall, the evidence shows that we have made progress, with the largest gains occurring for those groups that started with the least. While this suggests the beginning of convergence toward uniformly high levels of access and adoption, there is still a substantial distance to go, particularly in our poorest neighborhoods and most rural communities, to ensure that all Americans can take advantage of the opportunities created by recent advances in computing and communications technology.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"Technology in Higher Education: Defining the Strategic Leader"

The EDUCAUSE Review has released "Technology in Higher Education: Defining the Strategic Leader."

Here's an excerpt:

In 2014, EDUCAUSE, the association of IT leaders in higher education in the United States, and Jisc, the national organization supporting the use of digital technologies for higher education and research in the United Kingdom, came together to address a common concern —that insufficient attention is paid to understanding the skills required by technology leaders in higher education, both now and in the future. The two organizations convened a working group of 10 U.K. and U.S. IT leaders to address this issue, and this article outlines their findings. It provides the higher education IT community with a model to guide IT professionals at all stages of their careers and to position technology as a central part of advancing the core mission of the academic institution. . . .

In approaching this topic, the working group asked themselves, "How do we put together something that is meaningful and practical for a relatively diverse audience?" Although the group came to consensus about the traits needed for a successful IT leader, they agreed that the challenge lay in sharing those traits in a way that explains how they work together, how they are used, and, more importantly, how to help people interested in moving into IT leadership. The following model describes the many roles an IT leader plays and provides guidance about how to use the model—for individuals, institutions, and teams.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

"How to Hack it as a Working Parent"

Jaclyn Bedoya et al. have published "How to Hack it as a Working Parent" in Code4Lib Journal.

Here's an excerpt:

The problems faced by working parents in technical fields in libraries are not unique or particularly unusual. However, the cross-section of work-life balance and gender disparity problems found in academia and technology can be particularly troublesome, especially for mothers and single parents. Attracting and retaining diverse talent in work environments that are highly structured or with high expectations of unstated off-the-clock work may be impossible long term. . . .

We present some practical solutions for those in technical positions in libraries. Such solutions involve strategic use of technical tools, and lightweight project management applications. Technical workarounds are not the only answer; real and lasting change will involve a change in individual priorities and departmental culture such as sophisticated and ruthless time management, reviewing workloads, cross-training personnel, hiring contract replacements, and creative divisions of labor. Ultimately, a flexible environment that reflects the needs of parents will help create a better workplace culture for everyone, kids or no kids.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015

The Pew Research Center has released U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015.

Here's an excerpt:

Today nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and 19% of Americans rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing online services and information and for staying connected to the world around them—either because they lack broadband at home, or because they have few options for online access other than their cell phone.

Indeed, 7% of Americans own a smartphone but have neither traditional broadband service at home, nor easily available alternatives for going online other than their cell phone.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Sitemap

Killer Apps in the Gigabit Age

The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has released Killer Apps in the Gigabit Age.

Here's an excerpt:

To explore the possibilities of the next leap in connectivity we asked thousands of experts and Internet builders to share their thoughts about likely new Internet activities and applications that might emerge in the gigabit age. We call this a canvassing because it is not a representative, randomized survey. Its findings emerge from an "opt in" invitation to experts, many of whom play active roles in Internet evolution as technology builders, researchers, managers, policymakers, marketers, and analysts. We also invited comments from those who have made insightful predictions to our previous queries about the future of the Internet.

Digital Scholarship | "A Quarter-Century as an Open Access Publisher"

"Technology and Digital Scholarship"

Robert Harington has published "Technology and Digital Scholarship" in The Scholarly Kitchen.

Here's an excerpt:

According to The Guardian, 90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years, but less than 1% of this information has been analyzed. The question for academic publishers and societies is one of comprehension. How do we assimilate these data?

Digital Scholarship | "A Quarter-Century as an Open Access Publisher"

The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025

The Pew Research Center has released The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025.

Here's an excerpt:

This current report is an analysis of opinions about the likely expansion of the Internet of Things (sometimes called the Cloud of Things), a catchall phrase for the array of devices, appliances, vehicles, wearable material, and sensor-laden parts of the environment that connect to each other and feed data back and forth. It covers the over 1,600 responses that were offered specifically about our question about where the Internet of Things would stand by the year 2025. The report is the next in a series of eight Pew Research and Elon University analyses to be issued this year in which experts will share their expectations about the future of such things as privacy, cybersecurity, and net neutrality. It includes some of the best and most provocative of the predictions survey respondents made when specifically asked to share their views about the evolution of embedded and wearable computing and the Internet of Things.

Digital Scholarship | Digital Scholarship Publications Overview | Sitemap