With the radical changes in information production that the Internet has introduced, we stand at an important moment of transition, says Yochai Benkler in this thought-provoking book. The phenomenon he describes as social production is reshaping markets, while at the same time offering new opportunities to enhance individual freedom, cultural diversity, political discourse, and justice. But these results are by no means inevitable: a systematic campaign to protect the entrenched industrial information economy of the last century threatens the promise of today's emerging networked information environment. In this comprehensive social theory of the Internet and the networked information economy, Benkler describes how patterns of information, knowledge, and cultural production are changing--and shows that the way information and knowledge are made available can either limit or enlarge the ways people can create and express themselves. He describes the range of legal and policy choices that confront us and maintains that there is much to be gained--or lost--by the decisions we make today.

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The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom

The wealth of networks : how social production transformsmarkets and freedom

This study examines if Facebook, one of the most popular social network sites among college students in the U.S., is related to attitudes and behaviors that enhance individuals' social capital. Using data from a random web survey of college students across Texas (n = 2,603), we find positive relationships between intensity of Facebook use and students' life satisfaction, social trust, civic engagement, and political participation. While these findings should ease the concerns of those who fear that Facebook has mostly negative effects on young adults, the positive and significant associations between Facebook variables and social capital were small, suggesting that online social networks are not the most effective solution for youth disengagement from civic duty and democracy.

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Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students' Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation

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Social capital: a theory of social structure and action

Conventional wisdom about young people's use of digital technology often equates generational identity with technology identity: today's teens seem constantly plugged in to video games, social networking sites, and text messaging. Yet there is little actual research that investigates the intricate dynamics of youths' social and recreational use of digital media. Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out fills this gap, reporting on an ambitious three-year ethnographic investigation into how young people are living and learning with new media in varied settings -- at home, in after-school programs, and in online spaces. Integrating twenty-three case studies -- which include Harry Potter podcasting, video-game playing, music sharing, and online romantic breakups -- in a unique collaborative authorship style, Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out is distinctive for its combination of in-depth description of specific group dynamics with conceptual analysis.

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Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media

We review the evidence from a number of surveys in which our NetLab has been involved about the extent to which the Internet is transforming or enhancing community. The studies show that the Internet is used for connectivity locally as well as globally, although the nature of its use varies in different countries. Internet use is adding on to other forms of communication, rather than replacing them. Internet use is reinforcing the pre-existing turn to societies in the developed world that are organized around networked individualism rather than group or local solidarities. The result has important implications for civic involvement.

The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism

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.

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

Based on longitudinal data collected from a random sample panel survey, the present study found that different types of Internet usage are differentially related to social networks. The more social ties people have, the more likely they are to use personal computer (PC) email, and the use of PC email increases social ties. The results also show that the more supportive ties people have, the more they tend to use mobile phone email; however, it does not prove the use of mobile phone email increases supportive ties. However, participation in an online community is not related social networks. These findings suggest that PC email may increase the size of personal social networks, whereas mobile phone email is useful in maintaining existing strong ties which provide social support.

Causal relationship between Internet use and social capital in Japan

The Internet, Social Capital, Civic Engagement, and Gender in Japan

Japanese often use keitai (Internet-enabled mobile phones) to communicate with their close friends and family. The small size and portability of the keitai makes it possible to send messages at almost any time and in any place—even Tokyo subway lines have been wired to enable connection underground. Moreover, the ability to type discreet messages makes it socially conducive to quietly send messages in public places where voiced conversation would be socially unacceptable. As in other countries, the heaviest users of this technology are young people, who often text message each other as a way to nurture relationships that might otherwise be hampered by parents and other authority figures. The kinds of text messages sent by keitai vary considerably, from the utility-oriented keitai e-mail that is used to coordinate in-person meetings, to the seemingly superfluous ‘‘I’m so bored’’ e-mail that promotes a sense of ‘‘ultra-connectedness’’ between lovers and confidants (Ito 2001). While these existing studies have gone a long way toward understanding the keitai phenomenon, a number of unanswered questions remain about the long-term social implications of this technology. First, although it has been well documented that keitai use increases contact with close friends and family, it is unknown if it is used to develop new supportive relationships. It is possible that keitai communication only supports existing supportive relationships, and does not help develop new relationships. Second, it is not known if keitai e-mail has the potential to replace PC (personal computer) e-mail over time. While it is possible that both types of e-mail will be used together to contact supportive ties, the convenience and portability of the keitai might make PC e-mail redundant. This chapter answers these questions through longitudinal data collected in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture. Collected over three years, this is among the first studies to collect information about social networks and e-mail use over time. It offers a rare opportunity to map out the adoption of keitai and how its use is associated with changes in relationships. In this chapter, we address two research questions:

Kakuko Miyata

Papers

The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism

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

Causal relationship between Internet use and social capital in Japan

The Internet, Social Capital, Civic Engagement, and Gender in Japan

The Social Effects of Keitai and Personal Computer E-mail in Japan