Social capital online: Collective use of the Internet and reciprocity as lubricants of democracy

This article puts the democratic potential of using the Internet into perspective through an analysis of how collective uses of the Internet promote social capital. Research results reveal that social capital online (i.e. trust and reciprocity) is enhanced by involvement in collective use of the Int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInformation, communication & society Vol. 9; no. 5; pp. 582 - 611
Main Authors Kobayashi, Tetsuro, Ikeda, Ken'ichi, Miyata, Kakuko
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 01.10.2006
Subjects
Communications technology
Community
Cultural Capital
Democracy
Information and communication technologies
Internet
Internet use
Media
Political aspects
Political Participation
Reciprocity
Social capital
Social networks
social participation
Trust
Users
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Summary:This article puts the democratic potential of using the Internet into perspective through an analysis of how collective uses of the Internet promote social capital. Research results reveal that social capital online (i.e. trust and reciprocity) is enhanced by involvement in collective use of the Internet such as participation in online communities and use of the Internet among informal groups in everyday life. This process could counter negative aspects of Internet use. Further, accumulated online social capital can be a powerful predictor of online political participation, i.e. online reciprocity has a positive effect on intention to participate in online civic discussion. Finally, the authors' analyses indicate the possibility of a spillover of online social capital into offline arenas. It is concluded that collective use of the Internet can be a lubricant for democracy.
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ISSN:1369-118X
1468-4462
DOI:10.1080/13691180600965575