'Net Features : pew internet

Surprise! Teens Love Using Social Media to Share Things

Michael Garrity — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:10:00 GMT

It looks like teenagers love to share things more than we thought – it just so happens that they prefer to do it on the Internet.

According to a new study from Pew Internet, teens are more than willing to share a bunch of information about themselves on social media sites, although most (wisely) attempt to restrain themselves by taking steps to restrict and prune their profiles.

In studying 802 teens, Pew found that teen Twitter growth has grown by eight percent since 2011, and that the average teenage Twitter users typically have about 79 followers (and Facebook users have about 300 friends). Most teens (64 percent) also prefer to have public Twitter accounts.

Facebook, however, is waning in popularity amongst young adults, with many teens claiming adult presence, excessive sharing and “drama” as reasons for growing disinterest in the social network. Currently, about 60 percent of Facebook-using teens keep their profiles private.

Mostly, they’re all just worried about their reputations, which is why 74 percent of teens have admitted to deleting someone from their network or friend’s lists. However, just nine percent said they were “very concerned” about third-parties using social media sites to access their data.

In addition, the study found that 91 percent of teens post pictures of themselves online, while 71 percent post their school names, another 71 percent post the names of their cities or towns, 53 percent post their email addresses and curiously, 20 percent post their phone numbers. Pew also found that 92 percent of teens use their real names online, 84 percent post about their interests (movies, music, books, etc.), 82 percent share their birth dates, 62 percent share their relationship statuses and 24 percent are posting videos about themselves.

Also not surprisingly, the study found that older teens are much more likely to share certain types of information, such as photos, school names and cell phone numbers, than younger teenagers, and that boys are for more likely to share personal information than girls.

There is an upside to all of this sharing, though, as the study found that teens are much more likely to report about positive, rather than negative, online experiences. A surprising 52 percent said they have had an “online experience” that made them feel good about themselves, while 33 percent reported online experiences that made them feel closer to another person (a number that increases to 37 percent for social media users).

Designing for Privacy & Web Success

Administrator — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:56:00 GMT

By Timothy J. Toohey, Partner at Snell & Wilmer, LLP

It is a safe prediction for 2013 that public awareness of websites’ data privacy issues will continue to increase. In the last few years, popular websites, including Google and Facebook, have been almost constantly in the news regarding alleged privacy violations. For example, in 2012 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is the primary federal regulator of privacy issues in the U.S., settled privacy violations with several prominent companies, including a record $22.5 million settlement with Google regarding its misrepresentation of privacy assurances to users of Apple’s Safari browser. In another prominent case, the FTC entered into a settlement with anonline advertising network that had secretly gathered data from millions of consumers. In addition, the FTC alleged in a complaint that the default settings of a file-sharing application, which allowed sharing of all existing files on the device with people in the consumer’s immediate vicinity and throughout the world, was an example of “unfair design.”

When used in conjunction with website design, “privacy” typically refers to the protection of a user’s personal data in reference to certain “Fair Information Principles” or FIPs. FIPs typically include limits on the collection, processing and use of personal data, limits on data retention, notice to users, individual choice or consent regarding the collection and subsequent use of personal data and transparent data processing.

In recent years, public opinion surveys indicate that users are sensitive to the privacy of their personal data online. For example, a March 2012 survey conducted by the Pew Internet Project indicates that two-thirds of those surveyed disapproved of having their personal data used to personalize search results and that the same percentage views online targeted advertising negatively. Another report found that 81 percent of parents of teens were concerned about how much information advertisers can learn about their child’s online behavior.

Federal and state regulators are also increasing attention paid to privacy issues. In addition to the Google settlement, the FTC has recently settled prominent enforcement actions against Facebook, Myspace and other sites. In December 2012, the FTC also announced a major revamp to its rules regarding the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires companies to get parental approval before collecting online information from children under 13 and limits collection of information regarding children. Under the revised rules, the restrictions on collection of personal information will include geolocation information, photographs and videos, as well as persistent identifiers that recognize users over time and across different websites, including IP addresses. Covered website operators, which now include third parties collecting information, as well as the websites themselves, must also adopt reasonable procedures for data retention and deletion.

At the state level, application design is receiving increasing attention from regulators concerned about user privacy. For example, the California Attorney General has released a series of privacy best practices for mobile applications that would inform users before collecting data and has sued Delta Airlines for failing to provide notice to consumers that it is collecting sensitive information on its mobile application.

Facing this myriad of challenges, website designers may be tempted to leave privacy issues to lawyers or other professionals, if and when they arise. Experience indicates that this would be a mistake. Privacy is much better addressed in an early stage of website design than after problems arise. Moreover, this is consistent with the principles of “privacy by design” that are receiving ever increasing attention from regulators, including the FTC and the White House.

According to the FTC’s 2012 report Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change, privacy by design means that “companies should promote consumer privacy throughout their organizations and at every stage of the development of their products and services.” Rather than present consumers with lengthy privacy notices, privacy by design encourages companies to incorporate FIPs, including reasonable collection limits, sound retention and disposal practices, and transparency into the entire life cycle of a product or service. Context and user expectations are also key elements of privacy by design. For example, data collection by a website should be consistent with the context of the transaction. As stated in the White House’s 2012 report Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World, which proposes a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights for online transactions, the consumer should be seen as an active participant in the online experience. Companies that collect consumer data are “stewards of data” and as such must respect consumers’ expectations regarding the collection, use and disclosure of data.

Another important aspect of privacy by design is recognizing that the relationship between consumers and the company collecting personal information through a website may change over time in unforeseeable ways. As the White House proposal recognizes, “adaptive uses of personal data may be the source of innovations that benefit consumers. However, companies must provide appropriate levels of transparency and individual choice—which may be more stringent than was necessary at the time of collection—before reusing personal data.”

For website designers, the principles underlying privacy by design may seem abstract or inconsistent with current design practices. The challenge for designers therefore is to translate privacy principles, including transparency and respect for context, into practical design practices.

Privacy researchers Ira S. Rubinstein and Nathaniel Good have recently suggested one approach to this problem that incorporates privacy by design into the established principles of user-experience design (UXD). Because UXD focuses on obtaining information concerning the interaction between users and a design to promote positive user experience, Rubinstein and Good suggest that consumers’ privacy concerns could be incorporated as part of UXD research. Along with other matters of importance to the user, such as features and user interface, UXD research could include user expectations regarding privacy, such as collection and use of personal data, data retention, and sharing of information with third parties. Armed with this research, design professionals could incorporate privacy protections into designs from the outset, rather than waiting for privacy issues to emerge after the website has launched.

In order for this approach to succeed, professionals in the website design field first need to be equipped with an understanding of what works and does not work in website privacy. Although there is a wide variety of “privacy fails,” analyzing the experience of prominent companies, such as Google and Facebook, among others, helps highlight privacy issues that may arise when the flow of personal information is obscured or when users do not understand the scope of the use of their personal information and to whom it is being disclosed. As recent examples demonstrate, companies ignoring privacy concerns may suffer significant negative consequences, including loss of user confidence, negative publicity, or regulatory actions, including consent decrees and fines. Incorporating respect for users’ privacy into the design process may not only help avoid such consequences, but also confer a competitive advantage. Meeting user expectations therefore makes good business sense in our increasingly privacy conscious world.

About the Author:

Timothy Toohey is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. He is a U.S. Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and an E.U. Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E). His practice concentrates on complex litigation, intellectual property and privacy and data protection matters. Toohey has handled numerous matters related to privacy and data protection, including those involving federal, state and international laws connected to data breach and disclosure of personally identifiable information. He also has extensive experience in all elements of intellectual property counseling and litigation, including trademark, copyright and patent matters.

Check it Out – Who is Really Checking in?

Allison Howen — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:30:00 GMT

Mobile has been one of the hottest topics in the tech industry for some time now, but there are still many uncertainties as to exactly how consumers are utilizing their devices. This information is especially important for Web workers who want to optimize their brand’s presence for multi-channel users.

A new study from research company Pew Internet provides insights into how these devices are being utilized by consumers, including statistics on location-based and geosocial services, which can be valuable features for local businesses to leverage within their mobile apps.

The survey reveals that 74 percent of smartphone owners use their devices to get real-time, location-based information such as directions or recommendations that are related to their current location, but only 18 percent are using geosocial services to check-in or share their locations with friends. Both of these statistics show an increase in usage since 2011, when only 55 percent of smartphone users were utilizing location-based services and 12 percent were using geosocial services.

The uptick in usage of these services is a good sign, especially for businesses looking to capitalize on local and social via mobile devices. For example, location-based services can provide a consumer who is searching for “pizza” with directions, reviews and information for local pizzerias, which can be influential in increasing the foot traffic at local pizzerias.

On the other hand, geosocial services provide businesses with better word-of-mouth advertising via the customer check-ins that businesses accumulate on social networks such as Facebook, Foursquare and Gowalla.

And while the uptick in these location-based and geosocial services is important to note, Web workers should also know what demographics are leveraging these services. Women under the age of 30 are the most likely to use both location-based and geosocial services, while college graduates and those with a household income of at least $75,000 are more likely to use location-based services.

Conversely, consumers without college experience and those with a household income of less than $40,000 are more likely to use geosocial services.

It is safe to say that usage of location-based and geosocial services will continue to grow, especially as smartphone adaptation continues to gain momentum and as more consumers realize exactly what these services can do – such as find them local businesses to visit or offer them coupons as an incentive to check in on a site such as Foursquare.

Study Assesses Value of Social Media Users

Michael Garrity — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Not long ago, the Pew Research Center unleashed on the world the results of a study highlighting how Internet users, and specifically Facebook users, are much more likely to engage in political activities like voting or attending political meetings. However, another research company, Resonate, was conducting a similar study of their own, and their findings were drastically different.

According to Resonate, "heavy" social media users "don't translate to desired behaviors" offline, and they warn marketers looking to dive into social media that their "results do suggest that the rush to social should be tempered with a little more caution."

The study was broken down to observe the habits of three types of social media users: Heavy, who spend an average of 26 percent of their time online engaged in social media; Medium, who use social media about 4.1 percent of the time; and Light, who are only on social media about .42 percent of the time.

They analyzed these three groups in combination with their online purchase behavior and political activity and their findings seem to suggest that these consumers may not supply the ROI that many marketers are looking for (and investing in heavily).

What they found was that most of the heavy social media users are, no surprise, less involved in the offline world than their counterparts who don't spend as much time on similar sites.

But shouldn't all of that time spent online, and thus in more prolonged contact with all of the ads that can be found plastered on social media sites, lead to more frequent purchasing by these Heavy users?

Apparently not. In fact, the study says that not only are these Heavy users statistically less likely to purchase products or services online, but they typically spend less money than others when they do.

Of course, these are just the findings of a single study, and as I've already mentioned, other research shows that time spent engaged in social media has a greater affect on a users offline activities, so this particular set of data is likely not an absolute characterization of the issue. Still, considering how much money marketers spend catering to social network users, and, presumably, more, uh, heavily to the Heavy users, I wouldn't just sweep this data under the rug, either.

This handy chart explains:

Search and Email Still Primary Online Activities

Michael Garrity — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Some new information released following a May 2011 Pew Internet survey may be helpful to marketers looking to target different demographics of Web users.

The results of the study show that, to no one's surpise, search engines and email are the most common online activities. In fact, 92 percent of online adults say that they use search engines to find information on the Internet, and over half (59 percent) say they do so on a typical day. And though searching is clearly popular among most Internet-using adults, it is actually tied at 92 percent with the number of people who use email. On top of that, 61 percent of respondants say that they use electronic mail on an average day.

For years now, in fact ever since the Pew Internet Project began, searching and emailing have been the two most popular online activities. The following graph shows how the two have compared to some other leading online endeavors over the years.

As you can see, email has consistently been the most popular use of the Internet among average adults. Typically, according to the study, younger online adults, those who are college educated and those in the highest income categories are more likely than others to utilize email. These difference among demographics becomes more conspicuous when that data is broken down to look at email use in a typical day. Here is a chart that breaks down email use by various demographics into two subsections, those who just use email and those who typically use it on a daily basis.

Search is easily more popular among younger adult users, typically those ages 18-29. In fact, 96 percent of this group use search engines to track down information on the Web. While that is a lot, it's not as if there's some phenomenal generation gap when it comes to search engines; 87 of the oldest Internet users (which consists of those 65 and older) use search engines as their primary method of collecting information as well. Below is a chart on search engine use broken down by the same demographics and user tendencies as the one above.

Both searching and emailing have long constituted the core of online communication and information gathering, respectively, even as newer platforms, broadband and mobile devices have started to quickly alter the way in which Americans use the Web. Analyses of the study point to the increasingly habitual use of both email and search engines as a potential reason for why it has maintained such steady popularity. Comparing these new studies with older information shows use that while approximately 60 percent of adults engage in each of these activities on an average day, 2002 saw only 49 percent of adults using email and just 29 percent using a search engine on a daily basis.

But what does this mean for potential marketers? Well, for starters, it clearly shows where they need to be focusing most of their attention on the Internet. Placing ads on search engines seems like an obvious way to increase impressions, but other methods, most notably search engine optimization, can help to increase your presence on search engines because, as this study shows, everybody across all demographics is used to utilizing search engines.

Email also has a broad range of possible marketing techniques, and with so many potential consumers being attracted to using it, there is no reason not to take advantage. Sending newsletters, special promotions and providing new product information are just a few of the things that you can do to market yourself via email. Of course, it's important to check your use, because nothing is going to hurt your reputation more than becoming notorious for spamming. But, if you have something relevant to say, it would certainly be in your best interest to utilize what has long been the most consistently popular online activity to promote yourself.

Yeah, this study's results don't tell us anything too shocking, but they do serve to reinforce the idea that focusing on these two key areas in Internet usage is by no means a waste of your time. And, as the findings also point out, they're both becoming increasingly more popular among all demographics, which means that you are now reaching out to a wider audience. Sometimes it's best to just go with what you know works, I suppose.

Granny Gets a Facebook Page

Pete Prestipino — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:55:00 GMT

Social media use has grown dramatically across all age groups, but older users have been adopting networking tools particularly fast. New research today released by Pew Internet indicates that social networking use among Internet users age 50 and older nearly doubled in the past year - from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010.

Some key findings include:
+ Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among internet users ages 50-64 grew by 88%–from 25% to 47%.
+ During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%–from 13% to 26%.
+ By comparison, social networking use among users ages 18-29 grew by 13%—from 76% to 86%.
+ One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago.
+ Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.

“Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, but their growth pales in comparison with recent gains made by older users,” explains Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report. “Email is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications.”