THE NETWORK
IN THE GARDEN
Eric Gilbert | Karrie Karahalios | Christian Sandvig | University of Illinois

Do rural and urban people use social media differently?

1. rural demographics
2. brief history of rural telephony
3. our quantitative study of rural social media

rural: towns with less than 2,500 people
not connected to a metropolitan area
U.S. Census Bureau

U
Hundred, West Virginia
Population: 344
http://flickr.com/photos/9548969@N02/722111742 (used with permission)

Rural population
U.S. 24%
World 50%
0 10 20 30 40 50
UN Demographic Yearbook, 2003.
U.S. Census Bureau