Button, Angela (author), Partridge, Helen (author), and Centre for Community Networking Research, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2007-11-05
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 178 Document Number: C35681
Notes:
Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) Conference 2007, Prato, Italy, November 5-7, 2007. 13 pages., Analysis of 12 community and neighborhood websites in France, Canada and the U.S.
Via online issue. 4 pages., One of five articles featuring "The challenges of rural journalism" in this special section of the May 2007 issue of Montana Journalism Review.
Via online UI subscription, Recent research suggests that Internet usage can positively influence social capital in
rural communities by fostering avenues for voluntary participation and creating social
networks. Most of this research has examined whether Internet use is associated
with participation in local organizations and social networks but not the means by
which residents use the technology to learn about local activities. To address this
gap in the literature, the authors use a mixed-methods approach in an isolated rural
region of the western United States to evaluate how residents use their connections
to maintain local social networks and learn about local community events and
organizations. The authors show that Internet usage can play an important role in
building social capital in rural communities, thus extending the systemic model of rural
voluntary participation and community attachment. Implications for rural community
development are addressed.
