THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, COMMUNITY, AND VALUES
by Jeffrey Barlow <barlowj@pacificu.edu>
Editor, Interface
One of the most important sources for information on the impact of the Internet is the WWW site of the Pew Charitable Trust, "The Internet and American Life". <http://www.pewtrusts.com/ideas/index.cfm?issue=10> The Pew Trust is one of the largest American charitable foundations, giving away millions of dollars annually to fund well-thought out projects that show promise of illuminating particular problems facing the United States. Among current Pew-funded projects are: Global warming, Religion in public life, Society and the Internet, Tracking disease in America, Cultural policy, Saving the world's oceans, Faith-based initiatives, and Early childhood education.
The primary focus of a Pew project such as those above is to produce very well researched papers by authoritative sources based in original research. Pew papers and reports are particularly welcome as the areas addressed usually have broad implications for social policy. The Pew project on the Internet and American Life is a critical source of information that deserves exploration by all who are interested in the impact of the internet.
Since May of 2000, the Pew Research Center has produced many titles, listed below. These reports very often serve as the basis for news analysis and stories. Pew routinely sends them out to interested agencies and it is even possible to sign up on line to receive notice of forthcoming reports and press releases in selected categories of particular interest to the reader.
As might be expected from a web site with excellent funding and highly experienced personnel, the Pew pages are very well organized and relatively easy to use, given the vast number of files they obviously include. The reports listed below, for example, can be read on-line or down-loaded as easily printed PDF files. Occasionally we have encountered problems in accessing particular reports or downloading their PDF files, but we presume that an email message to Pew would result in quick corrections.
For further analysis of recent Pew Internet-related reports, see the editorial in this issue of Interface.
Pew Internet And American Life reports
The Digital Disconnect:
The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools August 14, 2002
The Broadband Difference: How online Americans' behavior changes with high-speed Internet connections at home June 23, 2002
Vital Decisions: How Internet users decide what information to trust when they or their loved ones are sick May 22, 2002
Online Job Hunting: A Pew Internet Data Memo July 17, 2002
Search Engines: A Pew Internet Project Data Memo July 3, 2002
The Broadband Difference: How online Americans' behavior changes with high-speed Internet connections at home June 23, 2002
Vital Decisions: How Internet users decide what information to trust when they or their loved ones are sick May 22, 2002
Use of the Internet at Major Life Moments May 8, 2002
The Rise of the E-Citizen: How People Use Government Agencies' Web Sites April 3, 2002
Getting Serious Online: As Americans Gain Experience, They Use the Web More at Work, Write Emails with More Significant Content, Perform More Online Transactions, and Pursue More Serious Activities March 3, 2002
Women surpass men as e-shoppers during the holidays January 1, 2002
CyberFaith: How Americans Pursue Religion Online December 23, 2001
Asian-Americans and the Internet: The Young and the Connected
December 12, 2001
Cities Online: Urban Development and the Internet November 20, 2001
Exposed Online: Why the new federal health privacy regulation doesn't offer much protection to Internet users November 19, 2001
The dot-com meltdown and the Web: 12% of Internet users have lost a favorite Web site, 17% have been asked to pay for something that used to be free online, yet most online Americans adjust easily November 14th, 2001
Online Communities: Networks that nurture long-distance relationships and local ties October 31, 2001
The Commons of the Tragedy: How the Internet was used by millions after the terror attacks to grieve, console, share news, and debate the country's response October 10, 2001
How Americans Used the Internet After the Terror Attack September 15, 2001
Wired Seniors: A fervent few, inspired by family ties
September 9, 2001
The Internet and Education: Findings of the Pew Internet & American Life Project September 1, 2001
Hispanics and the Internet July 25, 2001 PDF de Resúmen de resultados
Time Online Why some people use the Internet more than before and why some use it less July 16, 2001
Teenage Life Online: The rise of the instant-message generation and the Internet's impact on friendships and family relationships June 20, 2001
Dot-gov Goes Retail May 27, 2001 Federal Computer Week stories and
Testimony of Lee Rainie to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Music Downloading Deluge: 37 million American adults and youths have retrieved music files on the Internet April 24, 2001
Fear of Online Crime: Americans support FBI interception of criminal suspects' email and new laws to protect online privacy April 2, 2001
Risky Business: Americans see greed, cluelessness behind dot-coms' comeuppance March 16, 2001
More Online, Doing More 16 million newcomers gain Internet access in the last half of 2000 as women, minorities, and families with modest incomes continue to surge online February 18, 2001
The Holidays Online: Emails and e-greetings outpace e-commerce December 31, 2000
Wired Churches, Wired Temples: Taking congregations and missions into cyberspace December 20, 2000
Internet Election News Audience Seeks Convenience, Familiar Names: Youth Vote Influenced By Online Information A joint release from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press and the Pew Internet & American Life Project December 3, 2000
The Online Health Care Revolution: How the Web helps Americans take better care of themselves November 26, 2000
African-Americans and the Internet October 22, 2000
Olympics Online: The Old Media Beat the New Media October 4, 2000
Downloading Free Music: Internet Music Lovers Don't Think It's Stealing September 28, 2000
New Internet Users: What They Do Online, What They Don't and Implications for the Net's Future September 25, 2000
Who's Not Online: 57% of those without Internet access say they do not plan to log on September 21, 2000
Wired Workers: Who They Are and What They're Doing Online September 3, 2000
Trust and Privacy Online: Why Americans Want to Rewrite the Rules
August 20, 2000
13 Million Americans 'Freeload' Music on the Internet; One Billion Free Music Files Now Sit on Napster Users' Computers
June 8, 2000
The Love Bug: Few Take an Online Sick Day Due to Virus May 19, 2000
Tracking Online Life: How Women Use the Internet to Cultivate Relationships with Family and Friends May 10, 2000
Site Review by Jeffrey Barlow
Editor, Interface
“Hole in the Wall” Education & its Benefits to Society
Dotted Landscape: Berglund Center for Internet Studies Fellowship Review and Analysis Part 3
Dotted Landscape: Berglund Center for Internet Studies Fellowship Review and Analysis Part 2
Web Culture: Using Memes to Spread and Manipulate Ideas on a Massive Scale
Jambo Bwana Part 2: A Journey in Swahili as an Online Language
Dotted Landscape: Berglund Center for Internet Studies Fellowship Review and Analysis Part 1