E-Cohesion? The Internet and Social Capital building in Wired cities Pauline Hope Cheong, Ph.D. May 15th International and Theoretical Perspectives on Social Cohesion Conference, Brussels

E-Society ?

Goals of this Presentation proposes a critical framework to assess the relationships between the Internet, social capital and social cohesion, within the contemporary and contested notion of the ‘information society’ critically unpack the relationships between new media and social cohesion by discussing the politically laden implications of the Internet for social capital building

E-Cohesion…. ?

Dominant Paradigm: Social Cohesion founded upon social capital building transforms diminishes Internet Social Capital Social Cohesion supplements

Dominant Paradigm: Social Cohesion founded upon social capital building transforms Internet Social Capital Digital Inclusion in ‘information society’ Internet framed as ‘cure’ : Technological solution toward maintenance of social cohesion

Dominant Paradigm: Social Cohesion founded upon social capital building diminishes Internet Social Capital Rich ‘presence’, oral, proximate community Internet as ‘curse’ : Media as inimical to ‘optimal’ bonding and bridging ties

Dominant Paradigm: Social Cohesion founded upon social capital building supplements Internet Social Capital ‘Networked’ online and offline community Internet as ‘complement’ : Internet to provide “social affordances’ for “multiplicative social capital”

Alternative perspective: Social Capital as outcome of social inequalities Social Inequalities Social Capital Internet as ‘contingent’ : Internet competes with an established habitus in peoples’ everyday ‘communication action contexts’ (Cheong, 2006) Technological Capital

Alternative perspective: Social Capital as outcome of social inequalities Internet as ‘contingent’ Broadened and Plural view of digital divide (s) Social appropriation, existing political climates Positive role of debate and contestation for social cohesion Virtual public sphere, Cyberactivism, and opposition Reframing ‘non’-use, ‘proxy’ use

eighborhood Spaces Data(geo-referenced) Physical Place Internet code : ‘Augmented spaces’ : ‘Digiplace’ : hybrid ontologies

In Conclusion Discussed and assessed multiple models to describe the relationships between internet and social capital Contextual use, ‘non’ & proxy use of internet, amidst political and ideological climate Evolving role of internet as meta-medium Changing ontological and axiological assumptions of internet and nucleus of social cohesion

Questions ?

Thank You Pauline Hope Cheong, Ph.D.