The Net is now an integral part of everyday life in the US, suggesting fears that it's causing social and community relationships to fade away are groundless, says a new study.
In fact, instead of disappearing, communities are transforming, states the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
The traditional human orientation to neighbourhood- and village-based groups is moving towards communities that are oriented around geographically dispersed social networks where people communicate and manoeuvre, rather than being bound up in one community, it says, "Yet people’s networks continue to have substantial numbers of relatives and neighbours - the traditional bases of community - as well as friends and workmates."
And email plays an important role in maintaining these dispersed social networks, says the study.
"Rather than conflicting with people’s community ties, we find that the internet fits seamlessly with in-person and phone encounters," it goes on. "With the help of the internet, people are able to maintain active contact with sizable social networks, even though many of the people in those networks do not live nearby. Moreover, there is media multiplexity: The more that people see each other in person and talk on the phone, the more they use the internet."
The connectedness the Net and other media foster within social networks has real payoffs, says Pew. People go online to find others in their networks of contacts when they need help.
And, "Because individuals - rather than households - are separately connected, the internet and the cell phone have transformed communication from house-to-house to person-to- person," it states. "This creates a new basis for community that author Barry Wellman has called 'networked individualism': Rather than relying on a single community for social capital, individuals often must actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and resources for different situations."
In summary, the study finds:
The internet helps build social capital.
The internet plays socially beneficial roles in a world moving towards “networked individualism.”
Email allows people to get help from their social networks and the web lets them gather information and find support and information as they face important decisions.
The internet supports social networks.
Email is more capable than in-person or phone communication of facilitating regular contact with large networks.
Email is a tool of “glocalization.” It connects distant friends and relatives, yet it also connects those who live nearby.
Email does not seduce people away from in-person and phone contact.
People use the internet to put their social networks into motion when they need help with important issues in their lives.
The internet’s role is important in explaining the greater likelihood of online users getting help as compared to non-users.
Americans’ use of a range of information technologies smooths their paths to getting help.
Those with many significant ties and access to people with a variety of different occupations are more likely to get help from their networks.
Internet users have somewhat larger social networks than non-users. The median size of an American’s network of core and significant ties is 35. For internet users, the median network size is 37; for non-users it is 30.
About 60 million Americans say the internet has played an important or crucial role in helping them deal with at least one major life decision in the past two years.
The number of Americans relying on the internet for major life decisions has increased by one-third since 2002.
At major moments, some people say the internet helps them connect with other people and experts who help them make choices. Others say that the web helps them get information and compare options as they face decisions.
