Editing Social capital (section)

== Influence of the Internet ==
Similar to watching the news and keeping abreast of current events, the use of the Internet can relate to an individual's level of social capital. In one study, informational uses of the Internet correlated positively with an individual's production of social capital, and social-recreational uses were negatively correlated (higher levels of these uses correlated with lower levels of social capital).<ref name="Shah, Kwak, & Holbert, 2001">{{cite journal | last1 = Shah | first1 = D. V. | last2 = Kwak | first2 = N. | last3 = Holbert | first3 = R. L. | year = 2001 | title = "Connecting" and "disconnecting" with civic life: Patterns of Internet use and the production of social capital | journal = Political Communication | volume = 18 | issue = 2 | pages = 141–162 | doi = 10.1080/105846001750322952 | s2cid = 6490403 }}</ref> An example supporting the former argument is the contribution of Peter Maranci's blog (''Charlie on the Commuter Line'') to address the train problems in Massachusetts. He created it after an incident where a lady passed out during a train ride due to the congestion in the train and help was delayed because of the congestion in the train and the inefficiency of the train conductor. His blog exposed the poor conditions of train stations, overcrowding train rides and inefficiency of the train conductor which eventually influenced changes within the transit system.{{clarify|reason=The reader has to speculate about what is supposed to be social capital: if Maranci gained in social capital according to the reference, then state that; if the "changes within the transit system" were an increase in social capital according to the reference, then state that; don't force the reader to guess.|date=January 2023}}<ref name="Rainie & Wellman, 2012">Rainie, Lee, and [[Barry Wellman]]. 2012. "Networked Creators." Ch. 8 in ''Networked: The New Social Operating System.'' Massachusetts: [[MIT Press]].</ref>

Another perspective holds that the rapid growth of social networking sites such as [[Facebook]] and [[Myspace]] suggests that individuals are creating a virtual-network consisting of both bonding and bridging social capital. Unlike face to face interaction, people can instantly connect with others in a targeted fashion by placing specific parameters with Internet use. This means that individuals can selectively connect with others based on ascertained interests, and backgrounds. Facebook is currently the most popular social networking site and touts many advantages to its users including serving as a ''[[social lubricant (disambiguation)|social lubricant]]'' for individuals who otherwise have difficulties forming and maintaining both strong and weak ties with others.<ref name="Steinfield et al., 2006">Steinfield, C., J. M. DiMicco, N. B. Ellison, and C. Lampe. 2009. "Bowling Online: Social Networking and Social Capital within the Organization." ''Proceedings of the Fourth Communities and Technologies Conference''.</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|last1=Koley|first1=Gaurav|last2=Deshmukh|first2=Jayati|last3=Srinivasa|first3=Srinath|title=Social Informatics |chapter=Social Capital as Engagement and Belief Revision |date=2020|editor-last=Aref|editor-first=Samin|editor2-last=Bontcheva|editor2-first=Kalina|editor3-last=Braghieri|editor3-first=Marco|editor4-last=Dignum|editor4-first=Frank|editor5-last=Giannotti|editor5-first=Fosca|editor6-last=Grisolia|editor6-first=Francesco|editor7-last=Pedreschi|editor7-first=Dino|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-60975-7_11|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|volume=12467|language=en|location=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|pages=137–151|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-60975-7_11|isbn=978-3-030-60975-7|s2cid=222233101|access-date=22 November 2020|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127233156/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-60975-7_11|url-status=live}}</ref>

This argument continues, although the preponderance of evidence shows a positive association between social capital and the Internet. Critics of virtual communities believe that the Internet replaces our strong bonds with online "weak-ties"<ref name="Cummings, Butler, & Kraut, 2002">{{cite journal | last1 = Cummings | first1 = J. | last2 = Butler | first2 = B. | last3 = Kraut | first3 = R. | year = 2002 | title = The quality of online social relationships | journal = Communications of the ACM | volume = 45 | issue = 7| pages = 103–108 | doi=10.1145/514236.514242| s2cid = 207682266 }}</ref> or with socially empty interactions with the technology itself.<ref name="Nie, 2001">{{cite journal | last1 = Nie | first1 = N. H. | year = 2001 | title = Sociability, interpersonal relations, and the Internet: Reconciling conflicting findings | journal = American Behavioral Scientist | volume = 45 | issue = 3| pages = 420–435 | doi=10.1177/00027640121957277| s2cid = 144011627 }}</ref> Others fear that the Internet can create a world of "[[narcissism]] of similarity," where sociability is reduced to interactions between those that are similar in terms of ideology, race, or gender.<ref name="Fernback, 1997">Fernback, J. 1997. "The individual within the collective: Virtual ideology and the realization of collective principles." pp. 36–54 in ''Virtual Culture'', edited by S. Jones. Thousand Oaks, CA: [[SAGE Publishing|Sage]].</ref> A few articles suggest that technologically based interactions has a negative relationship with social capital by displacing time spent engaging in geographical/ in-person social activities.<ref name="Cummings, Butler, & Kraut, 2002" /> However, the consensus of research shows that the more time people spend online the more in-person contact they have, thus positively enhancing social capital.<ref name=":12" /><ref>Boase, Jeffrey and [[Barry Wellman]]. 2005. "Personal Relationships: On and Off the Internet." In ''Handbook of Personal Relationships'', edited by A. L. Vangelisti and D. Perlman. Cambridge: [[Cambridge University Press]].</ref><ref name=":10">Boase, Jeffrey, John Horrigan, [[Barry Wellman]], and Lee Rainie. 2006. "The Strength of Internet Ties." ''[[Pew Internet and American Life Project]]''. Washington.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Wang | first1 = Hua | last2 = Wellman | first2 = Barry | year = 2010 | title = Social Connectivity in America: Changes in Adult Friendship Network Size from 2002 to 2007 | journal = American Behavioral Scientist | volume = 53 | issue = 8 | pages = 1148–1169 | doi = 10.1177/0002764209356247 | s2cid = 144525876 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Haythornthwaite | first1 = Caroline | author-link = Caroline Haythornthwaite | last2 = Kendall | first2 = Lori | year = 2010 | title = Internet and Community | journal = American Behavioral Scientist | volume = 53 | issue = 8| pages = 1083–1094 | doi=10.1177/0002764209356242| s2cid = 146635311 }}</ref>

Recent research, conducted in 2006, also shows that Internet users often have wider networks than those who access the Internet irregularly or not at all. When not considering family and work contacts, Internet users actually tend to have contact with a higher number of friends and relatives.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00038.x|title = Do Internet Users Have More Social Ties? A Call for Differentiated Analyses of Internet Use|journal = Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|volume = 11|issue = 3|pages = 844–862|year = 2006|last1 = Zhao|first1 = Shanyang|doi-access = free}}</ref> This is supported by another study that shows that Internet users and non-Internet users do feel equally close to the same number of people; also the Internet users maintain relationships with 20% more people whom they "feel somewhat close" to.<ref name=":10" />

Other research shows that younger people use the Internet as a supplemental medium for communication, rather than letting the Internet communication replace face-to-face contact.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = McPherson | first1 = M. | last2 = Smith-Lovin | first2 = L. | last3 = Brashears | first3 = M. E. | year = 2006 | title = Social isolation in America: Changes in core discussion networks over two decades | journal = American Sociological Review | volume = 71 | issue = 3| pages = 353–375 | doi=10.1177/000312240607100301| citeseerx = 10.1.1.101.6700 | s2cid = 8164074 }}</ref> This supports the view that Internet communication does not hinder development of social capital and does not make people feel lonelier than before.

Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe (2007) suggest social capital exercised online is a result of relationships formed offline; whereby, bridging capital is enabled through a "maintenance" of relationships. Among respondents of this study, social capital built exclusively online creates weaker ties.<ref>Ellison, N.B., Steinfield, C. & Lampe, C (2007)</ref> A distinction of social bonding is offered by Ellison et al., 2007, suggesting bonds, or strong ties, are possible through social media, but less likely.