Social Networking for Social Capital

How could Social Networking be used to promote citizen engagement? Perhaps the most interesting possibility lies in the connection between social networking and social capital, famously examined by Robert D Putnam in his essay and subsequent book “Bowling Alone”. The World Bank defines social capital as “the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social interactions... Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society – it is the glue that holds them together”. Putnam argues that improving or restoring social capital can have a beneficial effect on child development, health, crime, social disadvantage and personal, corporate and national prosperity. He claims that the simple act of joining and being regularly involved in organized groups has a very significant impact on individual health and well-being, whether they are organized around enthusiasms and interests, social activity, or economic and political aims. The largely unknown factor here is whether online social networking can have the same beneficial effects cited by Putnam when referring to physical groups. However, traditional ‘community’, often equated with social capital, is actually only one of several identified kinds of social capital. The ‘linking’ dimension of social capital, proposed by Woolcock, is characterised by connections between people with differing levels of power and status, e.g. the public and the political elite. This is an area where social networking could help. Extending that further to what has been termed ‘Open Politics’ is only just beginning to emerge. In his BCS Lovelace lecture, in March 2007, Tim Berners-Lee referred to the “Inter-creativity” challenge of finding “new forms of democracy for difference cases”. Harnessing ‘the energy of dissent’ to enhance social capital may be the key. Discuss ...