Via Smart Mobs — Demos has published a report (available as a pdf download here, Open Access licence) looking at the way Broadband is being taken up in the UK and its implications:
As the number of connections grows by 50,000 every week, broadband internet is increasingly a social phenomenon and a political issue. However, as broadband opens up the public realm, its political direction may be determined as much by users as policy-makers.
Demos has carried out in-depth research into public attitudes to broadband, and will paint a detailed picture of how high-speed access changes the way people use the internet. Broadband Britain is the interim report of the project.
Broadband access makes possible the ‘end of asymmetry’; a shift of power from institutions to individuals. Far from an anomaly, a music industry revolutionised by broadband is but the leading edge of a set of changes that may sweep across our creative industries and public services.
Broadband users are already changing fast, becoming increasingly confident and pro-active:
- The majority have posted content online, and 18% post daily
- A fifth maintain websites and the same number have logged on before breakfast
- A quarter have organised get-togethers online
As a result, we argue that public institutions will increasingly be judged against four emerging principles; flexibility, personal support and engagement, community and citizen leadership. Broadband may help to unleash a set of challenges to which our public services must respond.
