How social media could teach us to be better citizens

Abstract

In 1995, social scientist Robert Putnam proposed a broad and wide-ranging critique of American civic life. (Putnam, 1995) Further developed in his influential book Bowling Alone (Putnam, 2000), Putnam argued that America was experiencing a sustained decline in civic life, one that might spread to advanced democracies around the world. His argument was multifaceted: not only were Americans voting less, they were also participating less in voluntary organizations, in churches and religious organizations, in labor unions and work organizations...

Keywords

• Digital Citizenship