1. Social media and civic life Lee Rainie Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project October 4, 2011 Email: Lrainie@pewinternet.orgLrainie@pewinternet.org Twitter: @lrainie

2. Those who use social media for civic and political activity are… 96% more likely than other internet users to participate in offline civic activities 85% more likely to sign petitions 83% more likely to make pol. contributions 67% more likely to contact officials 47% more likely to belong to a civic group By all measures happier with their communities and their government

3. Digital Revolution 1 Internet (78%) and Broadband at home (61%) 64% 61%

4. Networked creators among internet users 65% are social networking site users 55% share photos 37% contribute rankings and ratings 33% create content tags 30% share personal creations 26% post comments on sites and blogs 15% have personal website 15% are content remixers 14% are bloggers 13% use Twitter 6% location services – 9% allow location awareness from social media – 23% maps etc.

5. New places for “transactions” % of internet users who did following in last 12 months: Look for info about a public policy or issue48% Look up what services a government agency provides 46% Download government forms41% Research official documents or statistics35% Renew a driver’s license or auto registration33% Get recreational or tourist info30% Get advice/info about a health or safety issue25% Apply for government benefits23% Apply for a government job19% Pay a fine15% Apply for a recreational license11%

6. Digital Revolution 2 Mobile – 84%

7. 35% own smartphones Big jump in use of apps

8. 26% of adults used cell phones for political purposes in 2010

9. Digital Revolution 3 Social networking – 50% of all adults

10. SNS and the social/civic world Social media users more tied to civic groups and their internet use bonds them more deeply to group activities Facebook users more politically engaged –Political participation, voting, mobilizing friends Facebook users more trusting Facebook users have more close relationships Facebook users get more social support MySpace users more open to opposing views

11. Mixed views on social media outreach 2/3/201111 Trends in Online Government

12. 40% of internet users go online for data about government operations 2/3/201112 Trends in Online Government

13. A hint in Pew Internet data that the future might see more engaged, more diverse population interacting meaningfully with government

14. Social Media