Three-quarters of smartphone owners use location-based services

Posted by Kathryn Zickuhr, Pew Research Center, May 11, 2012

A new report finds that 74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get real-time location-based information, and 18% use a geosocial service to “check in” to certain locations or share their location with friends. Over the past year, smartphone ownership among American adults has risen from 35% of adults in 2011 to 46% in 2012. This means that the overall proportion of U.S. adults who get location-based information has almost doubled over that time period, from 23% in May 2011 to 41% in February 2012. The percentage of adults who use geosocial services like Foursquare has likewise risen from 4% in 2011 to 10% in 2012.

For copy of the report, visit Three-quarters of smartphone owners use location-based services | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

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• Study: Location-Based Services Popular Among Smartphone Owners (techdailydose.nationaljournal.com)
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The Future of Gamification

by Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie, Pew  Research Center, May 18, 2012

Tech stakeholders and analysts generally believe the use of game mechanics, feedback loops, and rewards will become more embedded in daily life by 2020, but they are split about how widely the trend will extend. Some say the move to implement more game elements in networked communications will be mostly positive, aiding education, health, business, and training. Some warn it can take the form of invisible, insidious behavioral manipulation.

For a copy of this report,visit The Future of Gamification | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems

by Lee Rainie, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Mar 1, 2011

Abstract: Surveys in Philadelphia, San Jose, and Macon show that those who believe city hall is forthcoming are more likely than others to feel good about: the overall quality of their community; the ability of the entire information environment of their community to give them the information that matters; the overall performance of their local government; and the performance of all manner of civic and journalistic institutions ranging from the fire department to the libraries to the local newspaper and TV stations. In addition, government transparency is associated with residents’ personal feelings of empowerment: Those who think their government shares information well are more likely to say that average citizens can have an impact on government.

For a copy of the full report, visit How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Are Location-Based Services Ready to Turn the Corner? – NYTimes.com

Are Location-Based Services Ready to Turn the Corner?

By RYAN KIM of GigaOm, NYT, January 26, 2011

Despite reports that location-based services are far from mainstream, new research by Microsoft suggests the technology is gaining adoption and may be poised to follow in the footsteps of the ATM, which took some time to dispel safety concerns on its way to being universally used. In an online survey of 1,500 people around the world last month, 51 percent report having used a location-based service including 50 percent in the U.S. That’s considerably higher than what the Pew Research Center found when it reported in November that only 7 percent of online U.S. adults use location-based services regularly. …

For full text of the article, click on Are Location-Based Services Ready to Turn the Corner? – NYTimes.com.

Related Articles

• Are Location-Based Services Ready to Turn the Corner? (nytimes.com)
• Location Services Have Not Caught On, Report Says – NYTimes.com (jeffpruett.wordpress.com)
• Most Users Don’t Want To Share Their Location (GOOG, MSFT) (businessinsider.com)
• Foursquare Is Growing Quickly – But Still Not Mainstream (gigaom.com)
• Location and Privacy: Where are we headed on Data Privacy Day? (blogs.technet.com)