The internet is a modern marvel of technology that has become a great tool for communication. The pew internet studies seen in the readings, show that the internet and technology use is effecting civic and social groups behavior. According to the study by Rainie, Purcell & Smith internet users a have stronger sense of community or belonging to a group. The study also showed high percentage of Americans achieving group goals and gaining access to internet groups.
In the Pew study conducted by Jansen, he points out that the religious groups are the largest type of communal group among Americans and they find the internet is a significant tool to communicate in a group.
I think that civic engagement and social capital exist in a cause and effect type of relationship. Civic engagement such as church groups leads to social capital like church Facbook group or vise versa. As we saw from the studies most people involved in some form of community or group have a drive to want to join other groups or at least have access to them.
You’re first sentence says it best: the internet is a great tool for communication. The internet doesn’t make people want to join groups or engage in civic duty. But it makes it easier for them to do so. And it makes it easier for group leaders to reach more people than ever before to get them involved. If I was starting a new group at church for young adults, a big part of my strategy would be creating a Facebook group and reaching out to people online to inform them of what I was trying to do.
Right – I mean think about how much easier it is to coordinate a group of people for a meet up or an event through Facebook or texting. How much longer would it take if you had to rely just on a landline phone? And how would you reach new people to recruit them into your group?
I was so surprise to learn from the Jansen’s study about the religious groups that those peoeple who participate in religious groups use internet as a tool to communicate as much as people who do not participate in any religious groups . From these findings we can infer the importance of the internet today, and how it is in everybody’s life , and that it is not used by certain age, religion, class, or race.
I agree, and find interesting that you said that civic engagement and social capital exist in a cause and effect type of relationship. Therefore, one thing ends up leading to another. If you like something and it has met your interests you keep on using it.
I wouldn’t have thought of civic engagement in that way. The way you describe it, though, does seem to make sense. I also agree with you in that a lot of people want to join multiple online groups. I’ve seen numerous examples of online groups in just the past few months. Although I have yet to join either of the sites, like Playstation Community or Gamesasylum, I can easily see why so many people join these types of sites and interact with fellow members on almost a daily basis. Such groups may really be the “community of the future”.