A lot has been made of the negative and positive impacts of social media platforms such as Facebook, but the extended reach that the platform gives to its users is typically chief amongst the list of potential positive impacts, but is this actually a tangible positive impact? In the Afterward section of his novel Bowling Alone: … Continue reading Can Social Media Create Community?
social capital
Tea Stains: The Destructive Cycles of Internet Drama Communities
"Tea" by chumsdock is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. For as long as there have been Internet communities, there has been drama within them; and as long as there has been Internet drama, there have been people who leap onto it to procure fame and influence for themselves. In communities based on a shared love of specific movies, shows, … Continue reading Tea Stains: The Destructive Cycles of Internet Drama Communities
An Inside Look: Working Women in Politics and the Decrease in Social Capital
Over many years, society has questioned the true nature of women's roles in the world. Whether that be the idea that women should act only as sexual objects for men's filthiest desires to fighting for equal pay in the workforce, women have always had to fight tooth and nail for any power they may possess. … Continue reading An Inside Look: Working Women in Politics and the Decrease in Social Capital
“Back in My Day”— Analyzing the New Form of Social Capital
If you are a millennial or Generation "Z'er," you’ve probably gotten comments similar to these about your electronic lifestyle habits from your parents or grandparents: “Back in my day, we didn’t have all these gadgets. In my day, people actually spoke to one another!” “Maybe if you weren’t on that phone of yours all the … Continue reading “Back in My Day”— Analyzing the New Form of Social Capital
The Unequal Exchange Rate of Social Capital
People protesting unemployment. "People's Unemployment Line: Demand a Safe & Just Return to Work." Joe Piette. June 22, 2020. Think back to all the jobs you've ever had in your life. Whether you worked as a barista in your local coffee shop, landscaped with your dad's friend for one summer, or landed a major corporate … Continue reading The Unequal Exchange Rate of Social Capital
Video Games As A Form Of Social Capital
For much of my life, one of my past times is video games, I play them because I enjoy them and find them to be a relaxing escape from the stresses of everyday life. That is not the only reason I play video games however, I also play them to stay connected with friends and … Continue reading Video Games As A Form Of Social Capital
New Media’s Effects on Social Capital
In the past couple of decades, we have seen a drop in social capital in our society, as it seemingly becomes harder and harder to find things to unite and connect large groups of people in a way that creates an understandable common purpose. When one thinks of the technological advancements of the past couple … Continue reading New Media’s Effects on Social Capital
Not-so-lonely bowling: civic engagement in the age of social media
Image source: American Leadership Forum "If the United States is to avoid becoming two nations, it must find ways to expand the post-9/11 resurgence of civic and social engagement beyond the ranks of affluent young white people." So write Thomas Sander and Robert Putnam in their 2011 article "Still Bowling Alone? The Post-9/11 Split.” In … Continue reading Not-so-lonely bowling: civic engagement in the age of social media
COVID: The Anti-Human Virus
Douglass Rushkoff in his Our Tech and Our Markets Have an Anti-Human Agenda describes a growing world that has lost fundamental human values from an agenda constructed by competitiveness in our technologies, markets, and media. Rushkoff claims that this competitiveness distracts us from inherent human interaction, and ironically, the digital networks that should connect us … Continue reading COVID: The Anti-Human Virus
Journalism 2.0 