The Internet makes us feel better informed and better connected

Research from Pew Research Center shows that US adults feel better informed and better connected thanks to the Internet. From products and services to national news, people feel that the Internet allows them to get more information that they need. They also say they find it easier to stat in touch with family and friends.

Easy to overlook, but these are huge benefits that the Internet has brought and are likely to only increase as we all become more comfortable with our lives online.

The data shows that:

• 75% of adults say that the Internet has helped them be more informed about national news than they were five years ago; 74% say the same of international news.
• 81% say they are now better informed about products and services that they buy.
• 67% say they know more about their friends, and 60% know more about their family.
• 49% say they know more about local politics and civic activities.

The message from the research is clear - the Internet is helping people be better informed about things they are interested in and care about. And 72% of people say they enjoy having all this extra information; just 26% feel overwhelmed by it.

It is also helping to rebalance the information asymmetry that has often existed - especially when it comes to products and services. Typically the brand will know much more about the product and service they are selling than the customer when they buy it. This asymmetry of information can be used to their advantage - would you really book that hotel if you knew the rooms were as small as they are?

This increased in information is not just making us better informed, but also helping us make better choices - about products and services, but also about our friendships, decisions and beliefs. Among the discussions of privacy and concern about the role of technology in our lives, it is easy to overlook the good that it brings to all of us.