Technology and Social Capital

After reading Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody, I was interested in reading more about social capital and how technology may be affecting it. For those of you who do not know a lot about the idea of social capital, I put a great link in a recent blog to a site that explains the concept well. I found a great article all about this topic. The article is called, “Does the Internet Increase, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital? Social Networks, Participation, and Community Commitment”, written by Barry Wellman in 2001. Wellman begins with a discussion of previous work done by Robert Putnam. “Putnam has documented a long-term decline since the 1960’s in American civic involvement” (Wellman, Pg.1). This decline is associated with a decrease in political involvement, as well as a decrease in community involvement, and a decrease in interpersonal communication which could lead to psychological issues. Putnam classified two forms of social capital:

a) Network Capital: Relations with friends, neighbors, relatives, and workmates that significantly provide companionship, emotional aid, goods and services, information, and a sense of belonging (Wellman, Pg.2).

b) Participatory Capital: Involvement in politics and voluntary organizations that afford opportunities for people to bond, create joint accomplishments, and aggregate and articulate their demands and desires (Wellman, Pg. 2).

Wellman adds a third type that he calls:

c) Community Commitment: Social capital consists of more than going through the motions of interpersonal interaction and organizational involvement. When people have a strong attitude toward community -have a motivated, responsible sense of belonging- they will mobilize their social capital more willingly and effectively (Wellman, Pg.2).

The question at hand: What is causing this decline in these types of social capital? Many are quick to blame the Internet and ever-increasing technology. It seems reasonable to assume that if people are participating less in their offline communities, it is because they are involved in online communities. It seems that technology is taking over. People are spending a significant amount of time e-mailing, blogging, on social networking sites, and texting. Many are saying that the Internet is having the same impact as the television, which led to a decline in both community involvement, and even involvement inside the home. All of these claims seem reasonable; however there has not been any definitive evidence that the Internet is the cause of this decline in social capital.

Wellman’s article discussed a study that strived to find a relationship between social capital and technology by looking at three views on the topic. The first view the study examined is that the Internet increases social capital. The idea behind this argument is that the involvement in online communities acts as a starting ground for new relationships. These online “meeting places” draw members in on the basis of common interests. The idea is that the relationship will develop and continue into the offline world. This view also argues that technology has made it easier and cheaper to communicate with family and relatives far away, thus increasing interaction and social capital.

The second view the study looked it is that the Internet decreases social capital. This view has six arguments:

1. “The Internet may be diverting people from “true” community because online interactions are inherently inferior to face-to-face and even phone interactions” (Wellman, Pg. 5).

2. “The Internet may compete for time with other activities…and can draw people’s attention away from their immediate physical environments while they are online” (Wellman, Pg.6).

3. “The Internet may be a stressor that depresses and alienates people from interaction” (Wellman, Pg.6).

4. “Not all uses of the Internet are social; much activity involves engaging in solitary recreations” (Wellman, Pg. 7).

5. “Computerization and the Internet can blur the home-work boundary, allowing people to bring work home” (Wellman, Pg. 7).

6. “….the Internet keeps people indoors, staring at their screens and neglecting local interaction at home and in the neighborhood” (Wellman, Pg. 8).

The third view argues that the Internet supplements social capital. “It presents the Internet as best understood in the context of a person’s overall life. It is integrated into rhythms of daily life, with life online viewed as an extension of offline activities” (Wellman, Pg.8). Basically this view argues that the level of Internet use and the degree of social capital are unrelated.

After defining these views, the article went on to discuss a survey conducted in the year 2000. The survey involved 39,211 North American adult participants. The survey contained ten items where participants reported different aspects of their Internet use. The study revealed some interesting findings. The first is that Internet use supplements network capital by extending face-to-face and telephone contact. The Internet is particularly useful for keeping contact with friends and family who live long distances away. (Wellman, Pg. 21)

The second finding is that Internet use actually increases participatory capital. “The more people are on the Internet, and the more they are involved in online organizational and political activity, the more they are involved in offline organizational and political activity” (Wellman, pg 22).

The third finding is that Internet use is associated with decreased commitment to community. “The security and social control of encompassing communities have given way to the opportunity and vulnerability of networked individualism” (Wellman, Pg. 22).

Overall it seems that the Internet is both positive and negative. One must take into consideration the facts of this article and examine their individual habits. Is time online worth sacrificing the time you could be spending offline with family and friends? Is it possible that eventually community commitment as defined by Wellman will be non-existent? What affects may this have on society?

Here is a PowerPoint to go along with my blog:

404 presentation

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Also, here is the article I used:

Article

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Reference:

Wellman, B., A. Q. Haase, J. Witte, and K. Hampton. "Does the Internet Increase, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital?: Social Networks, Participation, and Community Commitment." American Behavioral Scientist 45.3 (2001): 436-55. Print.