New study on Internet Use to follow News echoing around Cyberspace

Pew Internet & American Life Project issued a recent report that is making its way into blogs and news online (note: while I am over 36, I do get most of my news from the internet.) For people under 36,

the internet is now on par with local TV and newspaper as a daily source for news, and surpasses national TV, radio, and local papers as a news source. Fully 46% of this group gets news online on the typical day, compared with 51% who turn to local TV, 41% who turn to radio, and 40% to national TV news. Broadband users in this age group are more likely to seek out a wider range of news sources on a typical day than their dial-up counterparts, with much of that addition coming from online news. For the “under 36” age group generally, the local paper, local TV, and national TV newscasts play lesser roles in their newsgathering habits than for older Americans.

The trend is a reflection of the future that you can interpret if you aren't looking at the world through the rear-view mirror as McLuhan says we often are. Think about how sharing your world view with disembodied peers whose community of ideas is global, rather than based on physical proximity will influence values for both good and ill. What will community mean for these under 36ers? That is what I am trying to figure out.