mobile-tech

Can social media promote lasting political change, perhaps even a revolution? If so, to what extent? And which Internet-related policies can help foster democracy in countries with repressive regimes?

Much research and media attention has been devoted to exploring rapidly emerging African countries in recent years. In addition to extraordinarily high GDP growth rates, many African countries have seen their middle classes grow substantially and demand goods and services that were formerly available only to individuals in more developed countries.

Employment in the newspaper industry hit a peak of 56,900 editorial jobs in 1989, but as print circulation has dropped, so have jobs: By 2010 newsroom employment had fallen 27%, to 41,500. In response, news organizations have been building their online offerings and adjusting advertising and subscription strategies, but print income continues to fall more quickly than it can be replaced digitally.

A 2012 report from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Economist Group, “The Future of Mobile News,” found that an estimated 50% of U.S. adults now own either a tablet device or smartphone that connects to the Internet, and 66% of these device users say they get news from these mobile devices.

The time when heavy appliances dominated home energy use seems almost as remote as the era of gaslights and streetcars. Today our homes’ electric outlets have never been more sought after — computers, printers, modems, set-top boxes, and endless chargers all clamor for power — leaving refrigerators and washers as small players in the utility bill we receive.

How we communicate has changed rapidly over the last few years, and some of the greatest changes in behavior have been seen among teenagers, who are often “early adopters” of technologies. New applications and gadgets, though, can now quickly become commonplace and mainstream.