Abstract :
Much of the literature on behavior patterns shaped by the Internet argues that the
increasing amount of time spent online by people leads to a reduction of the time
spent on other possibly more fulfilling forms of interpersonal engagement, and
also to a decline in the quality or richness of those forms of engagement. This
article counters the claim that Internet use makes people less sociable. It draws
on contemporary research to argue that individuals’ capacity for sociability is
pre-existent. The Internet simply provides new channels for interaction, with
some definite implications for the resulting quality and quantum of social
engagement. Section 2 states the central questions of the sociability debate, and
develops the idea of “cycles of socialization”. It proceeds to discuss how online
communication helps maintain strong ties, creates weak ties, and stimulates
individuals’ capacity for sociability. Section 3 explores the role of online
interaction in building social capital, by examining three types of social-capitalbuilding
activities: creating network capital, civic engagement, and participating
in virtual communities. Sections 2 and 3 demonstrate the article’s core
proposition, and the article concludes by recommending further academic
inquiry into the accumulation of social capital at a macro-level, not just at the
level of personal and community networks.
