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1、TheInternetandSocialCapital*EricM.UslanerDepartmentofGovernmentandPoliticsUniversityofMaryland–CollegeParkCollegePark,MD20742euslaner@gvpt.umd.eduUslaner,“TheInternetandSocialCapital”(1)AcenturyandahalfagotheFrenchjournalistAlexisdeTocquevilletravelledthroughouttheUnitedStatesandm
2、arvelledatthegenerosityoftheAmericanpeople.“WhenanAmericanasksfortheco-operationofhisfellowcitizens,itisseldomrefused;andIhaveoftenseenitaffordedspontaneously,andwithgreatgoodwill,”Tocquevilleargued[8].HeattributedthisgenerositytotheAmericans’tendencytolookbeyondtheirownimmediatec
3、oncerns:“Theprincipleofself-interestrightlyunderstoodproducesnogreatactsofself-sacrifice,butitsuggestsdailysmallactsofself-denial....Iftheprincipleofinterestrightlyunderstoodweretoswaythewholemoralworld,extraordinaryvirtueswoulddoubtlessbemorerare”([8],122-123).Thisideaofself-inte
4、restrightlyunderstoodwenowcalltrustinotherpeople.AccordingtoTocquevilleandmanywhohavefollowedinhisfootsteps,peopledeveloptrustineachotherwhentheyjointogetherforcommonpurposesincivicassociations.Indeed,Putnamreferredtoa“virtuouscircle”oftrust,groupmembership,andinformalsocialtiesth
5、athasbecomeknownas“socialcapital”[5].Socialcapitalhelpsmakesocietyanditsgovernmentrunmoresmoothly.Yet,beginninginthelate1960sandearly1970s,thiscirclesomehowbroke.Americansbegantowithdrawfromparticipationinallsortsofcivicgroups–fromthetraditionalserviceorganizationssuchastheRotaryC
6、lubs,Kiwanis,andtheLeagueofWomenVotersaswellasbowlingleaguesandcard-playingclubs.Wesocializedlesswithfriendsandneighborsandwevotedlessoften.Theinevitableresultwasthatwebecamelesstrustingofoneanother[6].In1960,58percentofAmericansbelievedthat“mostpeoplecanbetrusted”(asopposedtosayi
7、ngthat“youcan’tbetoocarefulindealingwithpeople”).Bythe1990sbarelymorethanathirdofAmericanstrustedeachother,accordingtonationalsurveyssuchastheGeneralSocialSurveyandtheAmericanNationalElectionStudy.Americanshavelosttheirsenseofcommunity.WeUslaner,“TheInternetandSocialCapital”(2)don
8、’tmixwitheachotherasmuchasweusedt