The results of a research completed by Rainie, Purcell and Smith and another by Jansen agree on the positive effect of the internet on group life and voluntary participation in the United States. This is true for both civic and social groups as well as the religious community.
Rainie, Purcell, and Smith (2011) state, “The internet is now deeply embedded in group and organizational life in America…And social media users are even more likely to be active…”Data supports the idea that the impact of the internet is not limited to a small number of groups. In fact, latest research increasingly support the wide-ranging impact of the internet on almost all social groups, including those based on religion. The effect of the internet in recruiting for social groups is undeniable. Rainie, Purcell, and Smith (2011) state, “With all these group invitations being passed along, it is clear there are times when people feel a social push to join groups. Some 16% of adults say they felt obligated to join a group because someone they know invited them”. Some of the people who most feel pushed into group participation include young adults, 18-29, higher socio-economic status individuals, tech users, and social media users. This is proof that being exposed to the internet can influence people to belong to groups that they might not have otherwise thought to participate in.
Civic engagement relates to social capital because participation in group life can bridge and bond people in relationships and activities that increase knowledge. These activities improve the health and value of the participants with the resulting effect of improving the whole community.
The internet has many uses such as bringing people together for the development of new relationships, the deepening of existing relationships and the increase of social capital.
This week’s Pew surveys highlight the positive effects of computer-mediated communication. Now that the internet has reached a critical mass and has normalized into our society, we aren’t inundated with the dystopian fears and utopian hopes. Instead we can see that, on a basic level, CMC helps us connect with one another. It seems to promote offline civic, political and religious engagement. Of course, as with all things, the internet is best in moderation. Too much internet may keep us from experiencing what’s in front of us when we’re out and about. It’s also had an effect on our attention spans. But it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s trending toward the ordinary.
I have definitely felt pressure in the past to join groups just because my friends were in them, or because it was the “right thing to do.” When I started college, I joined lots of things because everyone told me it was “vitally” important for my future. Perhaps since the internet gives us something to hide behind, it makes it easier for us to choose groups that we actually want to be involved in.
As someone who acts as the voice of an organization online, I can say that there are some interesting things an organization can do with social media and mobile technology to attract people. In my role, I can use peer generated content online and use it to give others I’m trying to recruit more of a “peer to peer” feel in the messages they are getting. This is more likely to engage my target audience. Working for a university, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that students who are involved in at least one campus organization do better academically and progress to graduation at higher rates, so there is something to be said for civic engagement on campus. For that reason, we are using the internet to get students involved in organizations.
I agree that more people today are partaking in online communities than ever before. This can be seen as beneficial because multiple people are interacting with one another in ways that would never have been possible without the use of the internet. This allows for friendships to be made between members of different cultures. Unfortunately, bad consequential occurances can just as easily result from this if not properly handled. This includes the ending of long-term friendships that existed before membership in the site. As in face-to-face conversations, once words are said they can’t be taken back.