British media ignores the brighter side of the internet
Oxford, UK, 5 July 2013 – The British media’s negative view of the internet is out of sync with the public’s positive opinion, according to research released today. Analysis of 1,000 media articles on internet topics found that over three quarters of coverage (76%) had a strong negative sentiment, in contrast with public opinion, where a national study of 5,000 people for Nominet found that 87% of Brits believe the internet has had a positive effect on their lives. The research marks the seventh annual Nominet Internet Awards ceremony, which last night recognised several British projects which help to make the internet a more secure, open, accessible and diverse experience for all.
Analysis of media coverage reveals that the three most common internet topics are cyber-bullying and trolling (appearing in 18% of articles), online fraud (14%) and online privacy (9%), while the three areas of Brits’ lives that the internet has had the biggest positive impact on are in managing our everyday life (98%), helping with our personal & social life (93%) and supporting with skills, knowledge & learning (86%). more
