1. Communications & Attitudes: The Internet versus Print Media Presented to: PRIMIR John B. Horrigan Associate Director for Research

2. When will everything be like Star Trek?
Key questions
When will everything be like Star Trek?
When reams of data are instantly available, easily analyzed, and accessed on a flexible and portable device.
Not any time soon, as people still:
Go to libraries
Buy books
Read newspapers although less than before
What are frictions along the pathway to that vision?
PRIMIR, December 2007

3. Two parts to the answer
Technology: depends on the evolution and convergence of three things:
Displays
RFIDs and sensors
Networks
Users: how they adopt new technology
PRIMIR, December 2007

4. Technology I: Displays
PRIMIR, December 2007

5. Technology II: Displays … electronic paper
PRIMIR, December 2007

6. RFIDs and Sensors: the internet in things
Well deployed in business practices and supply chains.
Growing use among consumers, e.g., smart cards or EZ pass
Consumer concerns about privacy is issue:
Need to develop tools that let people control information about themselves
PRIMIR, December 2007

7. Networks: Adoption of high-speed at home
PRIMIR, December 2007

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11. Access on the go (Sept 2007 survey)
46% of internet users, in past year, have gone online someplace other than home or work.
For adults under 30, 68% have done this.
Of this group:
65% have done this using their cell phones to access the web
64% have done this using a laptop on a wireless broadband to access.
20% have done this using a Blackberry, Palm, or PDA
PRIMIR, December 2007

12. Impact of innovations takes time
Pathway of innovation:
Invention  disruption  investment  installation
This process can take up to 30 years, and we’re at the beginning of the “installation phase” in the information & communication technology revolution
Why?
Getting technology right
Getting the rules right
Drawing users in
PRIMIR, December 2007

13. Wither old media? (% getting news yesterday) Pew Research Center for the People & Press, May 2006 survey
Age 18-29
30-49
50-64
65+
TV News
49%
53%
63%
69%
News-paper 24 36 47 58
Radio 26 43 39 27
Online news 29 21 10
PRIMIR, December 2007

14. Different media sources viewed differently by users
Newspapers
Seen as a relaxing activity
A habit
A thorough information source
Internet news
Convenience
Speed
Customizable
For adults under 30, internet is a main news source – relative to newspapers – for most news categories except local news.
PRIMIR, December 2007

15. Why a typology? Information & communications technology Applications
PRIMIR, December 2007

16. How we put it together
Large survey (n=4,001) that focused on three dimensions of use of information & communication technology (ICTs):
Assets
Internet (and broadband at home)
Computer use (laptop & desktop)
Cell phones
iPods
Web cams
Video recorders & digital cameras
Actions
User-generated content
Gaming
Cell phone applications
Attitudes
PRIMIR, December 2007

17. What we found …
10 groups of ICT users that fall broadly into three classes of users
Tech elite (4 groups)
31% of the adult population
Middle-of-the-road users (2 groups)
20% of the adult population
Low-tech users (4 groups)
49% of the adult population
PRIMIR, December 2007

18. The Tech-oriented groups
Omnivores (8%) … in their late twenties:
Have the latest gadgets
Use ICTs as a platform for creativity, participation, entertainment, socializing
Connectors (7%) … in their late 30s, mostly women:
Into ing and cell phone use to stay in touch with others and connect to community groups
Lackluster Veterans (8%) … 40-ish men:
Don’t like the extra connectivity of ICTs
Use ICTs out of necessity
Productivity Enhancers (8%) … also 40-ish:
Highly positive view of ICTs as way to manage busy lives
PRIMIR, December 2007

19. Middle of the road users
Mobile Centrics (8%) … in their early 30s:
Fully embrace functionality of cell phones
Low home broadband access (37%) makes internet less central to their tech habits
Connected but Hassled (10%) … mid-40s:
Lots of technology assets  80% with broadband
Not a lot of tech satisfaction  connectivity is a burden and many suffer from information overload
PRIMIR, December 2007

20. Low tech groups Inexperienced Experimenters (8%) … 50-ish women:
Not a lot of gadgets or online experience, but might do more with ICTs with more familiarity with applications.
Light but Satisfied (15%) … early 50s:
ICTs on the periphery of their lives, but they are content with occasional use to keep up with others
Indifferents (11%) … late 40s:
Infrequent users who find connectivity annoying
Off the Network (15%) … mostly women in mid-60s:
This group has neither cell phones or internet access
PRIMIR, December 2007

21. Three key gaps across typology groups
Age
Attitudes about utility
Perceptions about usability
PRIMIR, December 2007

22. Age and the Typology Groups
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25. Typology implications
Age matters, but it’s not the only explanatory factor
Gaps & frictions cut in different ways:
Many have more tech than they use
Some might do more with more technology and more experience
Many users will use ICTs only with lots of coaching & support.
Some are unlikely ever to embrace ICTs
Lots of tech capability idle in people’s hands & homes
Far from the “mature phase” of ICT adoption and use in the United States
PRIMIR, December 2007

26. Implication for printing industries
Online resources complement traditional media, they don’t substitute completely for them.
Young people are:
more reliant on the internet and other information gadgets than older people.
less likely to form newspaper reading habit
Roughly one-third of the adult population are attuned to new media.
The day when electronics can enable highly portable and flexible displays is a way off.
The challenge for the printing industry is to be open to product and institutional innovation.
PRIMIR, December 2007