Chapter 5 of Networked In Review

For this week, I chose to focus on Chapter 5, "Networked Relationships," of our course textbook, Networked: The New Social Operating System (2012) by Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman. It's nothing new that people bemoan and fear technological advances that fundamentally change our society, and "networked individualism" as our authors call it is no exception. The chapter opens with introducing a study called "Social Isolation in America" that was published in The American Sociological Review in June 2006. This study found, among other things, that 23% of Americans reported that they did not have any confidants with whom they could discuss important matters and comparing Americans' answers in 2005 to their answers in 1984, the number of people with whom Americans reported discussing important matters had declined by 28%. This study lead to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project studying how technology affects social isolation, and they actually found the opposite. What gives?

As the authors write, "A large part of contemporary unease with technology stems from selective perception of the past and the superficial observation of other individuals" (pg. 120). In other words, as with many other aspects of our lives, it really just boils down to confirmation bias. If you were not a psychology major in undergrad and you didn't have this concept pounded into your brain, confirmation bias is basically people seeking out information that proves a theory or belief that they hold and not seeking out information that would confirm the opposite instead. The authors assure us, "Looked at more broadly, a large body of evidence has shown that relationships and community  and civic engagement thrive in social networks and that they are aided by the internet and mobile community" (pg. 121). In the chapter, it is explained how our networks have moved from door-to-door; then to place-to-place after World War II occurred and the widespread abundance of cars, phones, and planes made it easier to see others who lived far away; and finally to person-to-person as our current iteration of the Internet and personal mobile phones make it easy for us to reach out to individuals. In this world it falls upon us to make the time and effort to maintain these personal networks, with many participating in multiple ones, so it can be rather taxing, especially for those of us who are introverted (I myself belong in this group.)

You might be asking yourself, "Well, if I'm trying to keep up with all of my connections via social media and other parts of the Internet I won't have time to see them in person, will I?" Quite the opposite, according to Rainie and Wellman. They assert, "Contrary to concerns that the internet would reduce other forms of contact, the evidence shows the opposite: the more internet contact, the more in-person and phone contact. These are not either/or relationships: People use the internet and mobile phones to keep in touch, to arrange get-togethers, and to follow up after they meet" (pg. 127). If you're living in modern day society, you will know this to be true. This reminds me of when I lived in an off-campus apartment as a junior when my best friends lived on-campus. The "mom" of the group, Kat, would always ask me to text her once I got back to my apartment after hanging out with them so that she would know that I got there safely. 

The rest of the chapter discusses how big personal networks are (one study found that Americans have, on average, 634 social ties) and what these relationships make up these networks (the usual suspect: family, friends, friends of friends, co-workers, etc.) It also describes how Facebook has affected our lives. The authors seem to be much more positive about than I, a millenial who has spent almost half of her life on the platform and has gotten into more arguments on it than I care to admit, am. However, I do recognize its benefits and begrudgingly keep my profile active. As they conclude the chapter, the authors affirm that having large personal networks with relationships that exist both online and offline enrich the lives of modern people.

So that's that in the nutshell. Was this a good enough summary of the chapter? Would you like me to explain something more in-depth? Please leave a comment and let me know!