DOCSLIB.ORG

Social Networks and Neighborhood Social Capital in the Internet Age

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Social Networks and Neighborhood Social Capital in the Internet Age Project Summary E-neighbors: Social Networks and Neighborhood Social Capital in the Internet Age. Keith Hampton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Robert Putnam (2000) suggests that over the last third of the 20th century there has been a significant decline in America's social capital. People are spending less time with friends, relatives and neighbors; they are more cynical; and they are less likely to be involved in clubs and organizations. While this decline occurs too early to be associated with the rise of home computing or the Internet, past research has concluded with mixed results as to whether the Internet will further dissociate people from those around them, or if it holds the potential to reconnect the disaffiliated (Kraut et al. 1998; Nie and Erbring 2000; Hampton 2001). The proposed research attempts to overcome the limitations of existing research by embracing the social network perspective (Wellman and Gulia 1999). We recognize the possibility that social ties vary in strength (Granovetter 1973), are physically dispersed (Fischer 1975; Wellman 1979), and extend across multiple foci of activity (Feld 1982). Communities consist of far-flung kinship, workplace, interest group and neighborhood ties that together form a social network that provides aid, support, and social control (Wellman 1999). Social ties are not maintained in only one place or through one form of communication, but in multiple social settings in-person, over the phone, through the mail, and potentially over the Internet. We suggest that Internet research has largely overlooked existing sociological debate related to the impact of technological and societal change on “community.” Debate about the nature of community did not originate with the introduction of new computer technologies, but arose out of earlier concerns about the transition from agrarian to urban industrial societies (e.g., Durkheim [1893] 1964; Tönnies [1887] 1957). Failing to incorporate this debate into research on Internet use has lead researchers to look in the wrong places for any effect that new information and communication technologies might have on community. Through the use of case studies and a quasi-experimental model the objectives of this research project are to I) examine the relationship between Internet use and the size and composition of people’s social networks, and ii) explore the potential for new information and communication technologies to expand social networks, social capital and community involvement at the local level. This project proposes a longitudinal survey of the residents of four Boston area neighborhoods. Each resident 18 years of age and older will be surveyed to examine the role of Internet use on the composition, structure and supportive content of personal and neighborhood social networks. Residents will be compared by neighborhood type and extent of Internet use (including non-Internet and non-computer users). Following the first wave of surveying three of the four neighborhoods will be given access to a series of free Internet services designed to facilitate the sharing of information and resources at the local level. A second and third wave of surveying will examine the impact of these services on residents’ social networks and their involvement in neighborhood and community activities. We hypothesize that Internet users have larger, more diverse social networks, and that they are more active communicators on and off line. The introduction of Internet services designed to facilitate the flow of information and resources locally will increase the size and diversity of local social networks, but will not replace the role of preexisting kinship and friendship ties. The impact of the Internet on the way people communicate and their network of social relations is constantly changing. In order to establish a baseline for future research, it is crucial to conduct a detailed formal study of how new information and communication technologies impact social networks as soon as possible. Similarly, it is vital to address concerns with respect to the decline of social capital in America, and any role that new information and communication technologies might have in continuing or reversing this decline. E-neighbors: Social Networks and Neighborhood Social Capital in the Internet Age. Keith Hampton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology I. Introduction Robert Putnam (2000) suggests that over the last third of the 20th century there has been a significant decline in America's social capital. Putnam provides evidence to suggest that recent generations are far less involved in both formal and informal public life than Americans were less than a half century ago. People are spending less time with friends, relatives and neighbors, they are more cynical and less trusting, and they are less likely to be involved in clubs and organizations. While this decline in social capital occurs too early to be associated with the rise of home computing or the Internet, Putnam (2000) and others (Stoll 1995; Kraut, Lundmark, Patterson, Kiesler, Mukopadhyay and Scherlis 1998; Nie and Erbring 2000; Nie 2001) have expressed fears that the growth of the Internet and computer-mediated communication may exasperate this trend and further undermining our connections with each another and with our communities. A combination of Internet use and home computing increasingly moves activities, once almost exclusively ascribed to the public realm, into the private home. It is increasingly possible to socialize, shop, work, learn and participate in leisure activities, all from within the refuge of the private residence. Computer-mediated communication allows for greater connectivity to resources and information, but simultaneously it may disconnect people from members of their social networks and reduce public participation. What will be the fate of community and social relations as a result of the growth of computer-mediated communication (CMC)? Critics argue that new technologies, such as the Internet, contribute to an incomplete lifestyle that reduces in-person contact and disconnects us from our families, friends and communities (Stoll 1995; Kraut et al. 1998; Nie and Erbring 2000; Nie 2001). On the opposite side of the debate, enthusiasts hail the Internet's potential for making connections without regard to race, creed, gender or geography. As Phil Patton proclaimed: “Computer-mediated communication . will do by way of electronic pathways what cement roads were unable to do, namely connect us rather than atomize us, put us at the controls of a ‘vehicle’ and yet not detach us from the rest of the world” (1986: 20). In an “information society” where work, leisure, and social ties may all be maintained from a “smart home,” people could reject the need for social relationships based on physical location. They might find community online, or not at all, rather than on street corners or while visiting friends and relatives. In such a scenario, new communication technologies may advance the home as a center for services that encourage a shift toward greater home-centeredness and privatization. At the same time the location of the technology inside the home may facilitate access to local relationships, suggesting that domestic and neighborhood relations may flourish, possibly at the expense of more distant ties. The asynchronous nature of email also provides new flexibility in the maintenance of social ties, facilitating contact with those who were previously out of reach do to temporal or financial restraints (Hampton and Wellman 2001). This project addresses the question of what effect home computing and Internet use has on community relations. Will people become privatized in their homes and cut off from their social networks as a result of new communication and information technologies? We argue that computer-mediated communication (CMC) encourages the growth of social capital, in the form of community involvement and in the expansion of the size and diversity of social networks. Moreover, we believe that the Internet can be used in new and innovative ways, particularly at the local level, to help reverse the trend of declining social capital. 1 Objectives The purpose of this project is to 1) examine the relationship between Internet use and the size and composition of people’s social networks, and 2) to explore the potential for new information and communication technologies to expand social networks, social capital and community involvement at the local level. II. Literature Review Perspectives on Community The proposed research attempts to overcome the limitations of existing research by embracing the social network perspective (Wellman and Gulia 1999). We recognize the possibility that social ties vary in strength (Granovetter 1973), are physically dispersed (Fischer 1975; Wellman 1979), and extend across multiple foci of activity (Feld 1982). Communities consist of far-flung kinship, workplace, interest group and neighborhood ties that together form a social network that provides aid, support, social control and links to multiple milieus (Wellman 1999). Social ties are not maintained in only one place or through one form of communication, but in multiple social settings, in-person, over the phone, through the mail, and potentially over the Internet. We suggest that Internet research has largely overlooked existing sociological debate related to the impact of technological and societal change on “community.” Debate about the nature of community did not originate with
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Methods Exam Reading List August 2016 Creswell
    Methods Exam Reading List August 2016 Creswell, John. 2014. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage 94th edition). Emerson, Robert, Rachel Fretz and Linda Shaw. 2011. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (Second Edition). Univ. of Chicago Press. Ragin, Charles. 1987. The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Univ. of California Press. Liamputtong, Pranee. 2011. Focus Group Methodology Principle and Practice. Sage Publishing. Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Methods of Qualitative Interview Studies. Free Press. Chamblis, D.F. and Schutt, R.K. 2016. Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation. Los Angeles: Sage. Chapter 11: Unobtrusive Measures. Groves, R., F. Fowler, M. Couper, J Lepkowski, E. Singer and R Tourangeau. 2004. Survey Methodology. Wiley Maines, D.R. 1993. “Narrative’s Moment and Sociology’s Phenomena: Toward a Narrative Sociology.” The Sociological Quarterly 34(1): 17-38. Pampel, F.C. 2000. Logistic Regression: A Primer. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication. Small, Mario. 2011. How to Conduct a Mixed Methods Study: Recent Trends in a Rapidly Growing Literature. Annual Review of Sociology 37:57-86. Tight, M. 2015. Case Studies. Sage Publications. Corbin, Juliet A., and Anselm Strauss. 2015. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Lieberson, Stanley. 1985. Making It Count: The Improvement of Social Research and Theory. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1 Ragin, Charles C., and Howard S. Becker. 1992. What is a Case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry. New York: Cambridge University Press. Stinchcombe, Arthur L. 1968. Constructing Social Theories. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
    [Show full text]
  • Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies 2 - Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies
    Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies 2 - Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies Modern complex societies increasingly expect leaders to hold advanced degrees in order to bring so- phisticated research-informed analysis to bear on pressing issues in the public, private and civil society sectors. The PhD in International Family and Community Studies is being offered in the Balkans since 2012. By bringing a first-rate American doctoral program directly to the region, we hope to mobilize knowledge so as to increase the regional capacity for addressing important social issues and to do so at a highly competitive price and with minimal risk of “brain drain”. www.clemson.edu - 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS • Welcome Address • Program Overview • Why a Doctoral Program in the Balkans? • Why Choose this Doctoral Program? • Who is offering this Doctoral Degree? • Description of the Program • Curriculum • Course Descriptions • Faculty & Staff • Principal Faculty of IFNL • Adjunct Faculty of IFNL • Staff of IFNL • Admission Criteria • Application for Admission • Degree Requirements and Potential Waiver of Courses for Master’s Degree Students • Cost of Studies • Quality Assurance 4 - Doctorate in International Family and Community Studies WELCOME ADDRESS “Understanding family and community life is an important first step in improving social conditions. Consider continuing your journey with a doctorate in international family and commu- nity studies. Because a doctorate
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy of Social Science
    Philosophy of Social Science Philosophy of Social Science A New Introduction Edited by Nancy Cartwright and Eleonora Montuschi 1 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries © The several contributors 2014 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted First Edition published in 2014 Impression: 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Control Number: 2014938929 ISBN 978–0–19–964509–1 (hbk.) ISBN 978–0–19–964510–7 (pbk.) Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only.
    [Show full text]
  • Studying Personal Communities in East York
    STUDYING PERSONAL COMMUNITIES IN EAST YORK Barry Wellman Research Paper No. 128 Centre for Urban and Community Studies University of Toronto April, 1982 ISSN: 0316-0068 ISBN: 0-7727-1288-3 Reprinted July 1982 ABSTRACT Network analysis has contributed to the study of community through its focus on structured social relationships and its de-emphasis of local solidarities. Yet the initial surveys of community networks were limited in scope and findings. Our research group is now using network analysis as a comprehensive structural approach to studying the place of community networks within large-scale divisions of labour. This paper reports on the analytical concerns, research design and preliminary findings of our new East York study of "personal communities". - 11 - STUDYING PERSONAL COMMUNITIES IN EAST YORK 1 OLD AND NEW CAMPAIGNS Generals often want to refight their last war; academics often want to redo their last study. The reasons are the same. The passage of time has made them aware of mistakes in strategy, preparations and analysis. New concepts and tools have come along to make the job easier. Others looking at the same events now claim to know better. If only we could do the job again! With such thoughts in mind, I want to look at where network analyses of communities have come from and where they are likely to go. However, I propose to spend less time in refighting the past (in part, because the battles have been successful) than in proposing strategic objectives for the present and future. In this paper, I take stock of the current state of knowledge in three ways: First, I relate community network studies to fundamental concerns of both social network analysis and urban sociology.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthropology Comes Part-Way Home: Community Studies In
    Ann. Rev. Anthropol. 1977. 6:349-78 Copyright @ 1977 by Annual Reviews Inc. All rights reserved ANTHROPOLOGY COMES +9598 PART-WAY HOME: COMMUNITY STUDIES IN EUROPE John W. Cole Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 INTRODUCTION Robert Redfield's research in the Mexican village of Tepoztlan in the late 1920s marks the expansion of field research in social anthropology into complex societies. Certainly in the decades which fo llowed this work there was a proliferation of research among peasants, pastoralists and fishermen, Anthropologists conducted field work not only in Latin America, but in the civilizations of Asia and Africa as well. In this general expansion, a few studies were conducted in Europe in the late 1920s and 1930s, notably by Arensberg in Western Ireland (5, 6), by Chapman in Sicily (30), and by Sanders (97) in the Balkans. But the cultures of contemporary Europe held little interest fo r the profession at large.! As a number of writers have noted, little social anthropological research was carried out in Europe until the 1950s (2, pp. 2-3; 5, pp. 9- 13; 56, p. 743). This was certainly not because of a lack of familiarity with the continent. The by University of British Columbia on 12/11/10. For personal use only. study of historical sources on the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and on the Celtic and Germanic "tribes" of antiquity played a prominent role in the Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 1977.6:349-378. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org fo rmation of nineteenth century anthropological ideas. As John Davis (38, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Background
    MM01_MORI5627_05_SE_C01.indd01_MORI5627_05_SE_C01.indd PagePage 1 30/05/1330/05/13 //203/PH01348/9780205255627_MORITSUGU/MORITSUGU_COMMUNITY_PSYCHOLOGY5_SE_9780205 27:0070:030/P AMAHM01 user-f-401u3s4e8r/-9f-7480012 05255627_MORITSUGU/MORITSUGU_COMMUNITY_PSYCHOLOGY5_SE_978020525 ... 1 Introduction: Historical Background HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ▪ CASE IN POINT 1.2 Does Primary Social Movements Prevention Work? Swampscott Social Justice WHAT IS COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY? Emphasis on Strengths and Competencies Social Change and Action Research FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES Interdisciplinary Perspectives A Respect for Diversity ▪ CASE IN POINT 1.3 Social Psychology, The Importance of Context and Environment Community Psychology, and Homelessness Empowerment ▪ CASE IN POINT 1.4 The Importance The Ecological Perspective/Multiple Levels of of Place Intervention ▪ A Psychological Sense of Community CASE IN POINT 1.1 Clinical Psychology, Training in Community Psychology Community Psychology: What’s the Difference? PLAN OF THE TEXT OTHER CENTRAL CONCEPTS Prevention Rather Than Therapy SUMMARY Until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. —Martin Luther King, quoting Amos 5:24 Be the change that you wish to see in the world. —M. Gandhi 1 MM01_MORI5627_05_SE_C01.indd01_MORI5627_05_SE_C01.indd PagePage 2 30/05/1330/05/13 //203/PH01348/9780205255627_MORITSUGU/MORITSUGU_COMMUNITY_PSYCHOLOGY5_SE_9780205 27:0070:030/P AMAHM01 user-f-401u3s4e8r/-9f-7480012 05255627_MORITSUGU/MORITSUGU_COMMUNITY_PSYCHOLOGY5_SE_978020525 ... 2 Part I • Introductory Concepts My dog Zeke is a big, friendly Lab–golden retriever–Malamute mix. Weighing in at a little over 100 pounds, he can be intimidating when you first see him. Those who come to know him find a puppy-like enthusi- asm and an eagerness to please those he knows. One day, Zeke got out of the backyard. He scared off the mail delivery person and roamed the streets around our home for an afternoon.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to the Social Side of Social Network Analysis Barry
    An Introduction to the Social Side of Social Network Analysis Barry Wellman Director, NetLab Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto Toronto, Canada M5S 1A1 [email protected] www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman NetLab Barry Wellman www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman Possible C.S. Fallacies Only online counts Groupware NE Networkware HCI: Only two-person interactions matter Can build small world systems All ties are the same; all relationships are the same Social network software support social networks Size matters – Linked In No need to analyze networks 3 Barry Wellman www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman In a Sentence ––– “To Discover How A, Who is in Touch with B and C, Is Affected by the Relation Between B & C” John Barnes (anthropologist) “The Sociology is Hard. The Computer Science is Easy.” Bill Buxton (UofT, PARC, MSR) 4 Barry Wellman www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman What is a Social Network? Social structure as the patterned organization of network members & their relationships Old Def: When a computer network connects people or organizations, it is a social network Now ported over to more ambiguous cases: web networks; citation networks, etc. 5 Three Ways to Look at Reality Categories All Possess One or More Properties as an Aggregate of Individuals Examples: Men, Developed Countries Groups (Almost) All Densely-Knit Within Tight Boundary Thought of as a Solidary Unit (Really a Special Network) Family, Workgroup, Community Networks Set of Connected Units: People, Organizations, Networks Can Belong
    [Show full text]
  • Gendering the Digital Divide
    IT&SOCIETY, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5, SUMMER 2003, PP. 149-172 http://www.ITandSociety.org GENDERING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE TRACY KENNEDY BARRY WELLMAN KRISTINE KLEMENT ABSTRACT Gender pervades how people use the Internet. Three large North American national surveys are used to compare women’s use with men. They show that women use the Internet more for social reasons, while men use it more for instrumental and solo recreational reasons. Care-giving for children at hom e limits women more than men in the use they make of the Internet. ____________________________________ Tracy Kennedy is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology, University of Toronto. She is conducting research on whether the intersection of household relations with Internet use significantly alters domestic interactions. Barry Wellman directs the NetLab at the University of Toronto’s Department of Sociology, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, and Knowledge Media Design Institute. He founded the International Network of Social Network Analysis in 1976. Kristine Klement was a research assistant at NetLab. She is currently in the graduate program in Social and Political Thought at York University, Toronto. Our thanks to Phuoc Tran for his assistance. © 2003 Stanford University 150 GENDERING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Kennedy, Wellman, Klement Women have been online less than men. They have been online for fewer months, and when they do go online, they spend less time. This gender divide is old news by now, part of the social factors affecting Internet access and use. Research into this digital divide has identified gender, socioeconomic status, race, and age as key factors that contribute to differentials in access to the Internet.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Service and University Roles: an Action Research Based on the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy*
    US-China Education Review B 4 (2012) 453-459 D Earlier title: US-China Education Review, ISSN 1548-6613 DAVID PUBLISHING Community Service and University Roles: An Action Research Based on the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy* Prasart Nuangchalerm, Pacharawit Chansirisira Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand This study employs action research to develop community service through university roles by applying the philosophy of sufficiency economy of His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej to fulfill villagers’ way of life. Participatory learning, seminar, field trip and supervision were employed for strategic plan. Data were collected by participatory observation, questionnaires and interviewing. The findings were explained by qualitative information. Village members perceived their needs in terms of self-reliance community based on participatory learning among university, local governmental organization and village members. The results of this study could be continuously promoted in terms of participatory and action learning based on the employment of the philosophy of sufficiency economy as well. Keywords: sufficiency economy, self-reliance community, community service, service learning Introduction The university is a significant part of social movement in terms of academic support and institutional generalization of theory through instructional practices. Mahasarakham University has a responsibility to serve community that, surrounding by engaging people to fulfill way of life based on the employment of the philosophy of sufficiency economy, was initiated by His Majesty, the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. This philosophy is guidance of sustainable economic and social development for more than 30 years for Thai. It is not only guidance for economic and social development, but also extends to cover other aspects of life (National Economic and Social Development Board, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Outside Course List
    OUTSIDE COURSE LIST Outside courses counting for a Cognitive Area Course An upper division (5-unit) course from any of the following courses can be used to satisfy one of the two upper division courses required in the Cognitive Area for the general psychology major OR the two outside courses required for the intensive psychology major. Anthropology Linguistics (Cont’d) 101 - Human Evolution 140 - Language Change 106 - Primate Behavior and Ecology Mathematics 110 - Anthropology of Movement 11A - Calculus with Applications Biology 11B - Calculus with Applications 20C - Ecology & Evolution 19A - Calculus for Sciences, Engineering, and 125 - Neuroscience Mathematics 140 - Behavioral Ecology 19B - Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Computer Science 21 - Linear Algebra 140 - Artificial Intelligence 22 - Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables Economics Philosophy 11A - Mathematical Methods for Economists I 121 Knowledge and Rationality 11B - Mathematical Methods for Economists II 123 Philosophy of Language (cross-listed with Linguistics Linguistics) 101 - Phonology 125 Philosophy of Science 113 - Syntax II 133 Philosophy of Mind 116 - Semantics II 135 Philosophy of Psychology 117 - Pragmatics 123 - Philosophy of Language (Cross-listed with Philosophy) Outside courses counting for a Developmental, Social or Personality Area Course An upper-division (5-unit) course in the range 100-189 from any of the following departments can be used to satisfy one of the two upper-division courses required in either the Developmental, Social, or Personality Area for the general psychology major OR the two outside courses required for the intensive psychology major. American Studies History of Consciousness Anthropology Latin American and Latino Studies Biological Sciences Linguistics Community Studies Philosophy Education Sociology Feminist Studies *Note: no course can be used that is cross-listed with a psychology course, taught by a psychology faculty member, or one in some cases that will be used to satisfy a requirement for another major or minor .
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Barry Wellman Et Al., “The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individ- Ualism,” JCMC 8, No
    Name /yal05/27282_u13notes 01/27/06 10:28AM Plate # 0-Composite pg 475 # 1 Notes CHAPTER 1. Introduction: A Moment of Opportunity and Challenge 1. Barry Wellman et al., “The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individ- ualism,” JCMC 8, no. 3 (April 2003). 2. Langdon Winner, ed., “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” in The Whale and The Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986), 19–39. 3. Harold Innis, The Bias of Communication (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1951). Innis too is often lumped with McLuhan and Walter Ong as a technological deter- minist. His work was, however, one of a political economist, and he emphasized the relationship between technology and economic and social organization, much more than the deterministic operation of technology on human cognition and capability. 4. Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (New York: Basic Books, 1999). 5. Manuel Castells, The Rise of Networked Society (Cambridge, MA, and Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1996). PART I. The Networked Information Economy 1. Elizabeth Eisenstein, Printing Press as an Agent of Change (Cambridge: Cambridge Ϫ1 University Press, 1979). 0 ϩ1 475 Name /yal05/27282_u13notes 01/27/06 10:28AM Plate # 0-Composite pg 476 # 2 476 Notes to Pages 36–46 CHAPTER 2. Some Basic Economics of Information Production and Innovation 1. The full statement was: “[A]ny information obtained, say a new method of produc- tion, should, from the welfare point of view, be available free of charge (apart from the costs of transmitting information). This insures optimal utilization of the infor- mation but of course provides no incentive for investment in research.
    [Show full text]
  • Castells' Network Concept and Its Connections to Social, Economic
    Castells’ network concept and its connections to social, economic and political network analyses Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko School of Management, University of Tampere, Finland [email protected] Abstract This article discusses the conceptualization of network in Manuel Castells’ theory of network society and its relation to network analysis. Networks assumed a significant role in Castells’ opus magnum, The Information Age trilogy, in the latter half of the 1990s. He became possibly the most prominent figure globally in adopting network terminology in social theory, but at the same time he made hardly any empirical or methodological contribution to network analysis. This article sheds light on this issue by analyzing how the network logic embraced by Castells defines the social, economic, and political relations in his theory of network society, and how such aspects of his theory relate to social network analysis. It is shown that Castells’ institutional network concept is derived from the increased relevance of networks as the emerging form of social organization, epitomized by the idea of global networks of instrumental exchanges. He did not shed light on the internal dynamics of networks, but was nevertheless able to use network as a powerful metaphor that aptly portrayed his idea of the new social morphology of informational capitalism. Keywords Manuel Castells, network, network society, informationalism, The Information Age, social theory, political economy, social network analysis Introduction Manuel Castells created one of the most ambitious macro theories of our time, which endeavored to interpret the transformation of contemporary society as a reflection of the transition from industrial to informational mode of development.
    [Show full text]