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we turn to the web Americans are looking for jobs but also speaking out Jul 17, 2009 During the last recession, in 2001-’02, the internet was still on its way to becoming an everyday part of American life. During this one, the web has become an important part of how we’re coping. That’s according to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which finds that 69 percent of all Americans have gone online for recession-related purposes over the past year. Sixty-seven percent have searched for price comparisons. Forty-one percent have looked for new jobs. Forty percent have scouted for coupons. A fifth or more have also looked for information on filing for unemployment, sold personal items, or tried to improve their job skills. Just under a third say they’ve been going online more often over the past year to find information about the economy. Aaron Smith, research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project, talks to Media Life about how web users are reacting to the recession, why it has become a hot topic on social networks, and how this differs from the past. What did you find most surprising or most interesting about this report? We were certainly struck by the extent to which Americans are posting their own commentary and sharing their views about the recession online. Nearly one-third of the online population has shared or posted some sort of original content online relating to the recession or their financial situation. Why are those hit hardest by the recession some of the most avid internet users searching for advice and understanding? The “hard hit” are not only among the most avid internet users, they are among the most avid users of a range of sources. Generally speaking, someone who has lost a job or a house, or had their retirement plan take a beating in the stock market decline, has a much more vested interest in figuring out how to deal with these issues than someone who has not been impacted in a similar way by the recession. These individuals are reaching out to a wide range of sources to learn more about the economic environment and how it is impacting their own personal situation. What are online economic users and how has the recession impacted them? In our survey we asked a series of questions designed to identify people who go online to get help with personal financial issues, handle their own personal finances, or to learn about the recession and the broader economic environment. We call these individuals online economic users, and they represent 88 percent of all internet users. In general, these individuals look much like the American population as a whole, although they are somewhat younger and have higher levels of income and education than the overall population. What sort of effect is the economy having on social network usage? Usage of social networking sites has been growing very rapidly for several years, and users of these sites are frequently using them to share their thoughts, views and concerns about the economy or their finances. In general, these sites are used for networking and connecting with friends to solve problems; some of the most common economy-related activities taking place on these sites include contacting others about the possibility of a new job and discussing the possibility of losing one’s job with friends. What are the main recession-related activities for online users and why? In general, the most popular recession-related online activities are those that help people save money or look for a new job. These include doing price comparisons on different products; looking for a new job or a second job; seeking out online coupons; and looking for information on how to save money on everyday items. For each of these activities, online tools offer people the ability to solve discrete problems more quickly or effectively than might be possible using more traditional means. How has the internet changed our reaction to a recession? That is, how is this different from the reaction to what happened, say, in the 1991 recession? Our organization was not in existence during the previous recession, so we don’t have direct comparison data for this question. However, it is clear that the internet has expanded the range of resources available to individuals who want to learn about or discuss the economic situation. Americans continue to use tried-and-true methods for learning and communication but have supplemented these methods with the various online tools that are now available. What other sources are Americans using to understand the economic environment beyond the web? Americans are using a range of sources to understand the current economic environment in addition to online sources — television, newspapers and magazines, friends and family, or financial professionals, to name a few. The sources that people use to comprehend the new economic environment are not “either/or”—most of the people we spoke with used multiple sources and channels to help figure out this new environment.
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