Americans, Marketers, and the Internet: 1999-2012

Abstract

This is a collection of the reports on the Annenberg national surveys that explored Americans' knowledge and opinions about the new digital-marketing world that was becoming part of their lives. So far we've released seven reports on the subject, in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2012. The reports raised or deepened a range of provocative topics that have become part of public, policy, and industry discourse. In addition to these reports, I've included three journal articles -from I/S, New Media & Society and the Journal of Consumer Affairs -that synthesize some of the findings and place them into policy frameworks. The journals have kindly allowed reproduction for this purpose. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2423753Ame r i c a n s , Ma r k e t e r s , a n d t h e I n t e r n e t : 1 9 9 9 -2 0 1 2 J o s e p h T u r o wAmy B l e a k l e y , J o h n B r a c k e n , Mi c h a e l X . De l l i Ca r p i n i , No r a Dr a p e r , L a u r e n F e l d ma n , Na t h a n i e l Go o d , J e n s Gr o s s k l a g s , Mi c h a e l He n n e s s y , Ch r i s J a y Ho o f n a g l e , R o wa n Ho wa r d -Wi l l i a ms , J e n n i f e r Ki n g , S u L i , Ki mb e r l y Me l t z e r , De i r d r e Mu l l i g a n , L i l a c h Ni rElectronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2423753GreetingsIt's been 15 years since the first Annenberg national survey that explored Americans' knowledge and opinions about the new digital-marketing world that was becoming part of their lives. So, far, we've released seven reports on the subject, in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2012. The reports raised or deepened a range of provocative topics that have become part of public, policy, and industry discourse. From 1999: "Our findings reveal that the rush to connect the Web to American homes is happening despite parents' substantial insecurity. In certain ways, the fears parents have revealed to us are similar to the fears parents have expressed during introduction of the movies, broadcast television, and cable TV. But the concerns are not merely repeats of past litanies [….] Parents fear the Web for its unprecedented openness-the easy access by anybody to sexuality, bad values, and commercialism. They also fear the Web for its unprecedented interactive nature-the potential for invading a family's privacy and for adults taking advantage of children. These fears are heightened among many parents because they don't believe they understand the technology well enough to make the best use of it. Yet they believe their children need it." From 2000: "American 10-17-year olds are much more likely than parents to say it is OK to give sensitive personal and family information to commercial Web sites in exchange for a free gift. Examples of such information include their allowance, the names of their parents' favorite stores, what their parents do on weekends, and how many days of work their parents have missed. It is wrong to think that simple discussions between parents and kids about what information...

Critical big data literacy tools—Engaging citizens and promoting empowered internet usage

“…This inconsistency is often referred to as the "privacy paradox" (e.g., Kokolakis, 2017, p. 122). Previous scholars have explained this by referring to the idea of a rational cost-benefit analysis (e.g., Draper, 2017;Westin, 2003); people's poor knowledge (Turow et al, 2014; see also above); and notions of a resignation toward privacy (Dencik and Cable, 2017;Draper and Turow, 2019;Hargittai and Marwick, 2016). These findings informed this study's research design and instruments.…”

Targeted Issue Messages and Voting Behavior

“… 2. In addition to the possibility of targeting registered voters who may not agree with the candidate’s issue position, the use of narrowly targeted messaging can be risky if recipients recognize that the campaign is using tailored messages based on data that it has purchased or otherwise obtained without the recipient’s consent. In a 2012 survey, large majorities reported that they would be less likely to support a candidate using this type of tailored messaging (Turow, Carpini, Draper, & Howard-Williams, 2012). …”

If these Canadians lived in the United States, how would they protect their privacy?

“…In a risk management culture, consumer complaints are regarded less as an essential expression of the right to control one's personal information, and more as something to be minimized. Criticisms of self-regulation in the United States have been long-standing and persistent (Turow, et al, 2014).…”