Jl. Sullivan et al., Social capital and community electronic networks - For-profit versus for-community approaches, AM BEHAV SC, 45(5), 2002, pp. 868-886
In this article, the authors discuss the implementation of a community elec
tronic network in a rural Minnesota town. The network is intended to help t
he community keep up with global technological progress by increasing acces
s to the Internet. The current project compares this community approach to
electronic networks with an economic, for-profit approach utilized in a non
equivalent control community. Drawing on the theory of social capital, the
authors consider the relative impacts of privately oriented social engageme
nt versus publicly oriented political engagement in relation to collective
outcomes. The findings to date show that in the presence of a broadly based
community electronic network, political as well as economic resources are
linked to the use and knowledge of computer resources. The implications of
these findings for larger issues affair and equitable access to technology
are discussed.