E-participation: Social Capital and the Internet

Arbeitspapier

Studies in the social capital literature have documented two stylised facts: first, a decline in measures of social participation has occurred in many OECD countries. Second, and more recently, the success of social networking sites (SNSs) has resulted in a steep rise in online social participation. Our study adds to this body of research by conducting the first empirical assessment of how online networking affects two economically relevant aspects of social capital, i.e. trust and sociability. We address endogeneity in online networking by exploiting technological characteristics of the pre-existing voice telecommunication infrastructures that exogenously determined the availability of broadband for high-speed Internet. We find that participation in SNSs such as Facebook and Twitter has a positive effect on face-to-face interactions. However, social trust decreases with online interactions. We argue that the rising practice of hate speech may play a crucial role in the destruction of trust

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Nota di Lavoro ; No. 81.2014

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models: Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation ; Network Formation and Analysis: Theory ; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
• Subject: Social Participation ; Online Networks ; Facebook ; Social Trust ; Social Capital ; Broadband ; Digital Divide ; Hate Speech

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Sabatini, Fabio ; Sarracino, Francesco
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM)
• (where): Milano
• (when): 2014

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/107723
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET