Has the Internet Reduced Friendship? Scientific Relationships in Ghana, Kenya, and India, 1994-2010
| Autor: | Paul N. Mbatia, Antony Palackal, Mark Schafer, Heather M. Rackin, Dan-Bright S. Dzorgbo, Paige Miller, Wesley Shrum |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Economics and Econometrics
Sociology and Political Science business.industry 050204 development studies media_common.quotation_subject 05 social sciences 050109 social psychology Public relations Social relation Human-Computer Interaction Philosophy Friendship Anthropology 0502 economics and business Development economics 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ICTS The Internet Sociology business Social Sciences (miscellaneous) media_common |
| Zdroj: | Science, Technology, & Human Values. 42:491-519 |
| ISSN: | 1552-8251 0162-2439 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0162243916681851 |
| Popis: | Has the Internet changed the pattern of social relations? More specifically, have social relations undergone any systematic change during the recent widespread diffusion of new communications technology? This question is addressed using a unique longitudinal survey that bookends the entire period of Internet diffusion in two African nations and one Indian state. We analyze data on nine professional linkages reported by a population of agricultural and environmental scientists in Kenya, Ghana, and Kerala over a sixteen-year period (1994-2010). Factor analysis reveals two clusters of relationships, one interpretable as traditional scientific exchange, the other indicating mediated forms of collaboration. While collaboration increases in frequency, friendship declines. We interpret this shift as a consequence of communications technology that facilitates formal projects, reducing the affective dimension of professional association. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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