The Reckoning for Social Media

Lee Rainie - @lrainie

Director Internet and Technology Research at PRC

Social Media and Society – Toronto

July 29, 2017

Some of our recent findings

August 1, 2017 www.pewresearch.org 5

Trump job rating at historic low

Presidential job approval (%)

6August 1, 2017Source: Survey conducted April 5-11, 2017.

August 1, 2017 7

Wider partisan divide in Trump’s early job ratings Presidential job approval (%)

Source: Survey conducted April 5-11, 2017.

75 points

8/1/2017 8

August 1, 2017 9

U.S. Muslims Are

Concerned About Their

Place in Society, but

Continue to Believe in

the American Dream

Information revolutions are like avalanches

“We are today as far into the electric age as the

Elizabethans had advanced into the

typographical and mechanical age. And we

are experiencing the same confusions and

indecisions which they had felt when living

simultaneously in two contrasted forms of

society and experience.”-- Marshall McLuhan – Gutenberg Galaxy (1962)

Elizabeth Eisenstein

Folklore

Witchcraft

Alchemy

Today

Trolls

Fake news

Weaponized information

John Naughton

The Weaponized

Narrative Initiative

Team Deibert

State of social media (mid-2016 data)

69% of U.S. adults use social media

68% use Facebook

28% use Instagram

26% use Pinterest

25% use Linked In

21% use Twitter

--------------------------------

29% of smartphone owners use messaging apps like WhatsApp or

Kik

24% use auto-delete apps like Snapchat or Wickr

5% use apps that allow people to post anonymously like YikYak

Substantial ‘reciprocity’ across major social media platforms% of users of each social media site who use another social media site

Use Twitter

Use Instagram

Use Pinterest

Use LinkedIn

Use Facebook

% of Twitter users who … -- 65% 48% 54% 93%

% of Instagram users who … 49 -- 54 48 95

% of Pinterest users who … 38 57 -- 41 92

% of LinkedIn users who … 45 53 43 -- 89

% of Facebook users who … 29 39 36 33 --

Source: Survey conducted March 7-April 4, 2016.“Social Media Update 2016”

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

0

Reasons for the reckoning

1) Environment of “total noise” spreads confusion and mistrust

2) Hyper-partisan climate has intensified and invaded personal

interactions

3) Balkanized media ecosystem proliferates info options

4) Users are emotionally disinhibited and harassment increases

5) Anti-social pathologies have multiplied

6) “Attention economy” platforms incentivize outrage, extremism

7) Bots can play the game, too

8) It’s becoming clear that many don’t want to engage – emotionally

and/or technically

1) Environment of “total noise” spreads confusion and mistrust

“That’s … the sound of our U.S. culture right now, a culture and volume of info and spin and rhetoric and context that I know I’m not alone in finding too much to even absorb, much less to try to make sense of or organize into any kind of triage of saliency or value…. To really try to be informed and literate today is to feel stupid nearly all the time, and to need help.”

-- David Foster Wallace – Deciderization 2007: A Special Report

(in “The Best American Essays 2007)

24

The abundance of information has confused people

as much as it’s enlightened them

22 38 16 23

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Very well Somewhat well

Not too well Not well at all

I find it difficult to know

whether the information I find

online is trustworthy

% who say this statement

describes them…

Fake news is seen as a problem

People’s trust in various sources of information

3

14

17

18

18

24

39

40

31

54

48

54

43

58

44

38

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Info on social media

Info from financial institutions

Info from national news organizations

Info from local news organizations

Info from government sources

Info from family and friends

Info from health care providers

Information from local public library

a lot some

26% of Americans have had false information posted about them

2) Hyper-partisan climate has

intensified and invaded personal

interactions

Democrats and Republicans more ideologically

divided and ‘purified’ than in the past

Distribution of Democrats and Republicans on a 10-item scale of political values

Ideological polarization in the American public

It was 64% and 70%, respectively, in 1994!

Most say Clinton, Trump supporters cannot agree even on ‘basic

facts’On important issues facing the country, most Trump and Clinton supporters … (%)

Affective polarization also much stronger now

36% of

Republicans

see

Democrats as

a threat to the

nation’s well

being

27% of

Democrats

see

Republican

s as a

threat to

the nation’s

well being

Negative stereotypes about the ‘other side’

A year before election, most felt like ‘their side’ was losing more

often than winning in politicsOn issues that matter to you in politics today, has your side

been winning or losing more often? (%)

Partisans want to live with others who share their political views

3) Balkanized media ecosystem

proliferates info options

Consistent Liberals & Conservatives

Often Live in Different Media Worlds

Little Overlap in the Sources Trusted for Political News

Public Trust in Government: 1958-2015

Trust the federal government to do what is right just about always/most of the time

Both Parties Have Lost Confidence and Trust in Public’s

Potential Wisdom% very great/good deal of trust and confidence in political wisdom of

American people

4) Users are emotionally

disinhibited and harassment

increases

41% have personally experience online harassment(66% have witnessed it)

Harassment reasons

14%

9

8

8

5

3

3

1

Political views

Physical appearance

Gender

Race/ethnicity

Religion

Sexual orientation

Occupation

Disability

Social media is the most common venue for online harassment(most recent episode)

5) Anti-social pathologies have

multiplied

August 1, 2017 51www.pewresearch.org

Public awareness of kinds of harassment

58%

42

17

9

29

30

33

22

8

14

24

24

5

13

26

44

Hacking

Trolling

Doxing

Swatting

A great deal Some A little None

6) “Attention economy” platforms

incentivize outrage, extremism

www.pewresearch.org

7) “Bots can play the game, too

8) It’s becoming clear that many

don’t want to engage – emotionally

and/or technically

More than a third are worn out by the amount of political content

they encounter

Many users see social media as an especially negative venue

for political discussions compared with face-to-face

The state of play in social networks:

Echo and empty chambers

4% of SM users (2% of adults) are at least somewhat

orienting their networks like echo chambers

28% of SM users (14% of adults) have either added or trimmed their network because of political content

22% of SM users (12% of adults) live in networks

where they hear at least some/most political

material they agree with

44% of SM users (24% of adults) have

very light exchanges over politics

22% of SM users (12% of adults) are a “captive

audience” whose network delivers political

material but they don’t

9% of SM users (5% of adults) have no politics going on in their networks

36% of all adults have no

connection to the SM

world of politics

Information wary ~ quarter of population

People with relatively low levels of interest in information.

Very low levels of trust in information sources.

They do not exhibit much interest in acquiring digital skills or the wherewithal to determine what information is trustworthy.

Information wary ~ quarter of population

Demographics

Male dominated

Tilts white

Tilts older

Non-parents of minors

The Doubtful ~ quarter of population

This group has fairly typical

levels of interest in

information (just below

average) and visit the

library on par with others.

Yet they have low levels of

trust in info sources

(especially national / local

news organizations).

The Doubtful ~ quarter of population ---- (2)

They are also much more

likely than average to say

they are often trying to do

two or more things at once

and less likely than others

to say it is easy for them to

relax.

Have little interest in

improving their information

literacy.

The Doubtful ~ quarter of population

Demographics

Tilts male

Middle-aged

Tilts to better off HH

Tilts suburban

How the public hopes it

can get better

Who has a major role to play in addressing online harassment?

64%

60

49

32

22%

28

36

40

6%

5

8

21

A major role A minor role No role

Online services

Witnesses to this

behavior

Law enforcement

Elected officials

Better tech tools and stronger laws are the top choices

% who say the most effective way to address online harassment is …

% of U.S. adults who say people being harassed or bullied online is …

Large majority support online platforms intervening when

harassment occurs

Divisions about the balance between free speech and making

others feel welcome online

45

56

36

64

41

53

34

53

43

63

35

57

46

65

All adults

Men

Women

Men 18-29

Women 18-29

Men 30+

Women 30+

Speak minds freely Feel welcome and safe

August 1, 2017

www.pewresearch.org

What people say they want/need

Smart allies (diversity really helps)Improved curatorsProof of authenticityTransparencyJust-in-time help in

decision makingMore training on tech use and

information literacyOrganizations that will help

and protect them (esp. when itcomes to privacy/security)

August 1, 2017 75www.pewresearch.org

Thank you!

Email: lrainie@pewresearch.org

Twitter: @lrainie

@pewinternet

@pewresearch