Abstract
Over the last several decades, there has been a decline in both civic engagement and in social capital—the norms, trust and features of social life needed to achieve social objectives. Since 1965, the amount of time Americans spend in local clubs is down by one half. Attendance at town meetings is down 39%. The number of people working for political parties dropped 56%. Putnam links the decline in civic engagement to decreasing social capital and attributes both to the electronic revolution, especially television. He argues we need to meet in groups in the same physical space in order to strengthen connectivity and social networks that help us achieve social goals.
Recommended Citation
Huff, Sid; Brennan, Patricia; Kavanaugh, Andrea; and Bikson, Tora, "Panel 16 Electronic Communities: Community Attachment and Involvement in a Wired Society" (1996). ICIS 1996 Proceedings. 74.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis1996/74