I would be interested to see any evidence on whether citizen knowledge has increased or not since social media formed. People often assert this but don’t argue for it and the long-term trend isn’t that clear.
I’m not sure this answers your question but the Edelman Trust Barometer has been tracking levels of trust in societal institutions (government, business, NGOs and media) for the last 20 years. The trend shows a widening division between the “Informed Public” and the “Mass Population” using the following definitions:
Informed Public
500 respondents in U.S. and China; 200 in all other markets
Represents 17% of total global population
Must meet 4 criteria
Ages 25-64
College-educated
In top 25% of household income per age group in each market
Report significant media consumption and engagement in public policy and business news
I would be interested to see any evidence on whether citizen knowledge has increased or not since social media formed. People often assert this but don’t argue for it and the long-term trend isn’t that clear.
I’m not sure this answers your question but the Edelman Trust Barometer has been tracking levels of trust in societal institutions (government, business, NGOs and media) for the last 20 years. The trend shows a widening division between the “Informed Public” and the “Mass Population” using the following definitions:
Informed Public
500 respondents in U.S. and China; 200 in all other markets
Represents 17% of total global population
Must meet 4 criteria
Ages 25-64
College-educated
In top 25% of household income per age group in each market
Report significant media consumption and engagement in public policy and business news
Mass Population
All population not including informed public
Represents 83% of total global population