Over the past month, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has released the results of several new polls on how Americans use their technology. The latest report, Networked families, describes the central role now played by the Internet and cell phones:
"The survey shows that these high rates of technology ownership affect family life. In particular, cell phones allow family members to stay more regularly in touch even when they are not physically together. Moreover, many members of married-with-children households view material online together."
A report released last month on work called Networked Workers, describes how pervasive the use of the Internet has become in the United States.
"The majority of employed adults (62%) use the internet or email at their job, and many have cell phones and Blackberries that keep them connected even when they are not at work."
There is good news and bad news in these reports and poll numbers. Most workers think that increased connectivity makes them more productive, but the majority also think that these tools also add stress and new demands to their lives.
Digging deeper, Pew has two separate reports regarding work. One covers Email at work. Again, respondents recognized the good and bad aspects of email. Interestingly, the polls show that spam is less a problem at work than with personal email accounts.
Another report covers Wired Workers: Who They Are and What They're Doing Online. There are many positive aspects to this report, as well as a darker side mentioned.
"Some 17% of Internet users (and 11% of all Americans) say they know someone who has been disciplined or fired because of his or her use of the Internet on the job."
In my opinion, coverage of these reports has been somewhat limited, probably due to the coverage on the upcoming election. Still, there was some mainstream press coverage. USA Today offered this report back in September: Study: American workers tethered (with mixed feelings) to work via tech. One man who was interviewed for the report said,
"If everybody also threw their BlackBerrys away, I would too," he said, chuckling. "The only problem is, in my industry, it makes me more competitive."
Initial coverage of family use of the Internet has been more positive. CNet claimed, "The Internet is no 21st-Century Boob Tube."
Overall, there weren't many surprises in these new poll numbers or Pew reports. One thing to keep in mind is the law of averages. That is, some people are spending much more time online than these numbers indicate. (Of course, others are spending significantly less.) Still, there were no shocking numbers that grabbed headlines nation-wide.
I plan to discussing these poll numbers further in future blog entries. Meanwhile, what's your opinion on these reports?
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