Week
2 (January 28, 2009)
Civil Society, Social capital, & "virtual" communities
Putnam,
Robert. 1996. The Strange
Disappearance of Civic America
London, Scott. 2000. Civic Networks:
Building Community on the Net
Boyd, Danah. 2006. Facebook's
Privacy Trainwreck: Exposure, Invasion, Drama.
Review:
overview of different trends & theories of why citizens are
less politically engaged
- What are the causes for the "disconnect"? How
serious is it?
-elite vs participatory models of democracy
- Is the divide between "red" & "blue" real or
exaggerated?
- What should/could public involvement look like in a new
era?
tonight: impact on changes in traditional institutions & the break-down of traditional communities on political socialization & engagement.
Does the movement towards the internet reinforce or weaken community bonds? Or both? If civil society is the foundation of civic involvement, how do we restore community bonds in a virtual world?
Central
Problem: diminishing of "social capital" in civil society
defn. voluntary social networks connected by mutual
trust and norms of reciprocity (community)
- cultural base of all
political action towards govt. and policymakers- civil society Social Capital Community
Survey
Putnam
article: issue of very serious concern
**. primary cause of citizen gap, dis-connect w/
government and politics
- (most pronounced w/ under 30 age
group)
Why?
A. Break-down and changes in traditional "socializing"
institutions
1. family
a. model for relationship w/ authority
1. learn to trust, question,
contribute to decisions
2. "Leave it to Beaver" model,
traditionally
3. respect for authority &
trust transfers to institutions w/ maturity
b.contemporary family structures more unstable
1. divorce rates increased since 1970's
2. media encourages
cynicism/disrespect toward parents
images
3. cynicism and distrust, transfer over
to political figures
2.
Schools (form and content)
a. microcosm of larger political community
1. opportunities for citizenship, service available
2. ideally, students can shape policy, laws,
develop efficacy
b. experiential learning is model for later political behavior
c.content
of democracy taught through
curriculum/ civic knowledge
1. the institutional arrangements of government
2. history and philosophy of democratic theory
3. importance of political involvement
d.
crisis in schools, currently
1. fewer
teaching adequate civic knowledge
2. stretched too thin
a. taking on "family" functions not equipped to
handle
b. budget cuts hurt curriculum
development
3. policing & security concerns more serious
a. Columbine aftermath
b. 'zero tolerance' drug policies
e.
Result- more arbitrary and authoritarian policies
1. increased police presence in schools
2. more totalitarian atmosphere
3. higher levels of student alienation,
lack
of
efficacy
4. translates into disillusionment w/ policies, boredom,
a. "disconnect"
b. perception of being
manipulated
3.
Political Parties
a. role is to
organize coalitions of diverse groups
towards policy consensus
1. platforms reflect member's views
2. incorporate & focus political goals of
many groups- "Big tent" model
b. sense of
political/community identity for members
1. connection w/ local issues, personalities,
policies, "bottom-up" structure
2. traditionally, state, county-based, weak
national parties
3. strength based upon personal contact,
relationships,
traditionally
c.
party structures transformed since 1970's
1. membership dropping
2. more Americans identify as "independent", than
Dem. or Rep.
3. national stronger, state weaker
a. changes in campaign-finance laws,
post-Watergate
1. creation of PAC's
(political
action committees)
2. possibility of "soft"
money
a.
"candidate-centered" elections, not party-centered
b. natl parties
managers of money
b. party id now more ideological label
than
membership in organization
4. two mainstream parties fight for center
a. many citizens see no real "choice"
"Tweedledum & Tweedledumber"
b. third parties operate w/ serious structural
disadvantages, little media attention
4.
Local Communities
a. voluntary associations form base of civil society-the
"public"
1. interaction among ppl w/ diverse
personalities and beliefs
2. united by geography, local concerns
3. basis for collective action
b.
Putnam's
"bowling alone" phenomenon
1. breakdown of traditional social networks
a. women in labor market
b. mobility of citizens, anonymity of "burbs"
c. less neighbor-to-neighbor contact
d. longer working hours
2.
no "public" to mobilize on issues,
only "privates"
a. public engagement brings very different ppl together-
interaction results in understanding other perspectives
b. if no "public" space to deliberate w/ others,
open-ness to manipulation by "experts"
3.
primary
problem: communication technology--television
a. distraction from interpersonal contact, community
activity
1. "opiate of the masses"
--"800 lb gorilla of leisure
time"
2. co-opts much private time
3. personal isolation from REAL to involvement
w/ simulated characters
-- "ppl don't have friends,
they watch them on TV"
4. encourages passivity, isolation, detachment
5. cable has only increased the
fragmentation
of "real" community into market niches of private interests
b. What will be impact of internet?
1. NEGATIVE: (Putnam): the internet will
continue
trend from public involvement to private isolation
a. substitution of ppl-based community for virtual
1.
chat lines, internet groups, listservs-
only simulate community
2. distraction
from
local politics to more distant, abstract issues
3. diminishing
of
belief in "local competence" wow
4.
worst
case- lost in virtual
world,
absence from "real" oneEverquest
Sims sims-acc
b.
Boyd article details some of confusion of virtual
networking
1. confusion of public & private (concern for exposure, invasion)
2. unnecessary info you don't need to know, uncomfortable to know
(invisible audiences)
3. ppl assume they know you better than they do
4. ppl also construct new identities, new ways to perform
a. often easier than in person-person
b. makes up for structural disadvantages, eg. health, geography,
shyness, etc.
5. also, easier to mis-represent your self ex
one scenario:
a.
continued diminishment in civil society
1. personal
isolation
and alienation increases (anomie)
2. removal of
public
presence in policymaking
3. very dangerous
to participatory democracy ideal arrangement
b.
trend is likely to get worse w/o serious resistance
1. must work to
re-create
local community, geographically-rooted
2. deliberate turn
away from digital interaction to real local individuals
3. public policy focus-
create public "spaces"
scenario 2:
POSITIVE:
(London)
internet will create new forms of community
a. TV encourages passivity-,
internet
forces interactivity
b. in globalized, decentralized
world--dispersed
community is all we will have, (facebook,
myspace
)
c.reconceptualize
community to take in new
fragmented
world
d. more
rapid interactions, larger base pool to draw from - larger community kiva
e. promise
& value in virtual community
1. not limited by
time, geography, or physical barriers ge
2. allows
for
easy mobilization of actors
3. anyone
can be author, not passive audience
4.
potentially
closer contact w/ public officials and policymaking wi
on-line govt.
f. net activism shows real
potential (Obama campaign excelled,)
1. useful alliances not possible w/o its networking
potential
meet-ups
a. unites those w/ common concerns, geographically separated vm
b. shared strategies from communities to communities NRA Wisconsin Stewardship
Network
3rd scenario (one
augments the other)
:
a. no substitute for ppl-based community
1. social capital cannot be created
on-line
2. works best as adjunct or
augmentation
3. can magnify human interaction
in
existing network
b. can facilitate the combination of net-based &
interpersonal
interactions
1 need to learn new
rules of social interaction
2. on-line means you
lose control of audience
c.
true, diverse community cannot
be replicated on-line
1. ppl will choose blogs & websites than
confirm
private beliefs
2. no opportunity to have opinions revised through
exposure to other opinions