Does the Internet Increase, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital? Social Networks, Participation, and Community Commitment (2001)
| Citations: | 48 - 6 self |
BibTeX
@MISC{Wellman01doesthe,
author = {Barry Wellman and Anabel Quan Haase and James Witte and Keith Hampton},
title = {Does the Internet Increase, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital? Social Networks, Participation, and Community Commitment},
year = {2001}
}
Years of Citing Articles
Bookmark
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
OpenURL
Abstract
How does the Internet affect social capital? Do the communication possibilities of the Internet increase, decrease, or supplement interpersonal contact, participation, and community commitment? Our evidence comes from a 1998 survey of 39,211 visitors to the National Geographic Society website, one of the first large-scale web surveys. We find that people's interaction online supplements their face-to-face and telephone communication, without increasing or decreasing it. However, Internet use is associated with increased participation in voluntary organizations and politics. Further support for this effect is the positive association between offline and online participation in voluntary organizations and politics. Internet use is associated with a sense of online community, in general and with kin. Taken together, the evidence suggests that the Internet is becoming normalized as it is incorporated into the routine practices of everyday life.
