Aaron Smith

Some Americans enjoy the opportunities for political debate and engagement that social media facilitates, but many more express resignation, frustration over the tone and content of social platforms.

The sharing and on-demand economy has grown in the U.S., and some Americans are “super users”: 7% have used six or more shared and on-demand online services.

We interviewed Arun Sundararajan, a professor of information, operations and management sciences at New York University, and a leading expert on the sharing economy. Sundararajan is the author of the recently released book “The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism.”

In our survey, we asked respondents who had heard of the sharing economy to tell us – in their own words – how they would describe the term.

The sharing economy and on-demand services are weaving their way into the lives of many Americans, raising difficult issues around jobs, regulation and the potential emergence of a new digital divide.

A majority of Americans predict that within 50 years, robots and computers will do much of the work currently done by humans, but few expect their own jobs to experience substantial impacts.

The share of 18- to 24-year-olds who report having used online dating has nearly tripled in the past two years, while usage among 55- to 64-year-olds has doubled.

Americans view trouble in finding work or advancing one’s career as the most significant impediment facing those without broadband.

The internet is a central resource for Americans looking for work, but a notable minority lack confidence in their digital job-seeking skills.

From heart emojis on Instagram to saying goodbye to a relationship with a text message, digital technology plays an important role in teen relationships.