Internet beats TV as information source

The internet may be seen as an important source of information by most users, but its content is mistrusted and most people agree that people who go online put their privacy at risk.

These apparently contradictory research findings were released by the University of California this month - a preview of a much bigger report on the global impact of the internet due to be published in October.

The UCLA findings make grim reading for magazine editors. Fewer than half (44%) of all internet users questioned in the study rated magazines as an important or extremely important source of information.

Radio ranked almost as poorly with an equivalent figure of 47%. Books were seen as the most important source of information (73%), followed by newspapers (69%) and then the internet (67%). The television ranked fourth with only 53%.

These US findings appear to conflict with recent UK research, which found that the internet was being shunned as a source of news. This survey, organised by just-sites.com found that eight out of 10 people polled said they would never use the internet as a number one source of news. See British shun internet as first choice for news.

The UCLA research reveals a gulf in opinion about the internet between non-users and users. Only 26% of non-users said it was an important or extremely important source of information. While just more than half of all internet users said 'most' or 'all' information found online is reliable and accurate, only a third of non-users agreed.

There was more agreement on the risks associated with internet use. Overall, 64% of users agreed or strongly agreed that people who go online put their privacy at risk. The equivalent figure among non-users was 76%.

UCLA has also explored the influence of the internet on the political process. A significant minority of both users (46%) and non-users (28%) agreed or strongly agreed that 'by using the internet you can better understand politics'.

Even so, few thought the internet gives users more political power. Only 24% of users and 17% of non-users thought 'by using the internet you have more say about what the government does'.

Jeffrey Cole, director of the UCLA Centre for Communication Policy and head of the world internet project, said: 'Clearly, the internet can both empower people and raise concerns; both of those perceptions are amplified in our brief early findings about the internet and the political process.

'The fact that the majority of Americans who use the internet consider it an important information source - even though it has been commonly available for only a few years - demonstrates how this technology is transforming the political process and the knowledge of voters.'

These UCLA findings were extracted from the UCLA Internet Report: Surveying the Digital Future - part of a global research project on the impact of the new technology.

More information about the study can be found on the UCLA website.

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