More Americans Going Online To Connect Locally

More Americans are using online tools as a way to connect to their neighbors and local communities, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Nearly a quarter (22%) of all adults (representing 28% of Internet users) have singed up to receive alerts about local issues such as traffic, weather alerts, school events and crime alerts via email or text messaging.

Twenty percent of all adults (27% of Internet users) used digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.

Overall, physical personal encounters are still the main way people stay informed about community issues.

In the year before the survey Pew found:

*46% of Americans talked face-to-face with neighbors about community issues

*21% discussed community issues over the phone

*9% exchanged emails with neighbors about community issues and 5 % say they belong to a community email listserv

*4% communicated with neighbors by text messaging

*4% joined a social networking site group connected to community issues

*2% followed neighbors using Twitter

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Brian Ridgway
June 10, 2010 at 5:38 pm

It will be interesting to see these statistics next year and compare them to those published today. The internet has grown up in the past 15 years but I think there will be some major shifts in the next year or so.

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Maneet
June 11, 2010 at 7:45 am

This just goes on to reinstate the power of Local Search! Local is going to be the next major landscape.

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John M. Hoyt
June 14, 2010 at 9:37 am

Brian: A year from now, I doubt we will recognize search…. Not as we know it now. So many things are changing.

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Paul
February 26, 2011 at 11:19 pm

About a year ago we had an issue with some trees on our lot. And we had to get our neighbours to sign a petition to the city to get those trees removed. Even we live next door to each other – we communicated only through e-mail and text messages. Funny – but that is real life now days! very personal!