Young People's Heroes in France and Spain

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 246-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Gash ◽  
Pilar Domínguez Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Acquisition Sequence

Heroes play collectivist or individualist roles in imagination and self-development. Representations of heroic figures in questionnaires given to French (n = 241) and Spanish (n = 227) samples of 10 and 15-year-olds were examined to assess the extent that heroes originated in digital media, and whether they were proximal or distal personalities. There is strong evidence that heroes in this sample were largely learned about in digital media (France 45%, Spain 50%): family and community heroes were a minority (France 11%, Spain 9%). Male heroes were more important to Spanish participants compared to their French peers. The acquisition sequence for hero type reported in the pre-television era, proximal (family and community) to distal (beyond the neighbourhood), is reversed in this study. Generally, 10-year-olds preferred heroes with collectivist qualities and 15 year olds with individualised qualities. Findings are discussed in terms of the emergence of social capital.

scholarly journals COLLABORATIVE ACTION IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: DIGITAL CAPITAL, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POWER NETWORKS

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1(3)) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frol Revin
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Digital Networks ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Digital Capital

The article explores potential consequences of utilizing digital networks viewed as a consolidating resource for generating trust and shared values necessary to establish credible commitments though e-driven cooperative pursuits. By taking advantage of research on web-facilitated collaborative algorithms I survey their importance for stimulating user civic engagement as well as highlight the resultant digital capital creation within the informational platforms in which they are embedded. Acknowledging the relevance of communication power in contemporary network societies (Castells) it becomes especially poignant to further analyze the fragmentation of authority brought about by ICT exposure rarely evident within the more conventional concentrated hubs of socio-political discourse. Specifically, I conjecture that compared to more traditional forms of public goods creation digital capital as a pioneering form of web-based interaction breads equally novel challenges for collective gains through the use of a virtually wholly decentralized architecture. With the development of ever more elaborate ways of communicating and connecting digital media allows us to make transparent and democratize the emergence of trend-generating communities that facilitate cooperation, discourage group bias while engendering trustworthiness across all levels of the social strata. Current research, thus, pursues the goal of scrutinizing if and how modern digital networks can be considered as effective, durable tools for accumulating social capital able to accrue critical mass necessary to give momentum to and spur its users towards solving collective action problems. While certain prominent theorists (Habermas, Bourdieu) can be interpreted to suggest that modern technology has had a detrimental effect on communal cohesion leading to slanted, overly manipulative depletion of networks through which it can take root and flow, the author has a more charitable outlook on the utility of digitally produced social capital. In particular, I contend that novel communication channels based on high speed broadband connection coupled with portable, on the go mobile communication have the capacity to create a broad societal nexus of trust by maintaining and multiplying bona fide social bonds. Keywords: cooperation, collective action, virtual networks, ICT, social capital, digital capital, communication power, public sphere, fields of influence

Public relations at the crossroads

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Wolf ◽  
Catherine Archer
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Strategic Relationships

PurposeUsing the theoretical lens of social capital, this paper provides insight into senior public relations (PR) professionals’ views on and attitudes towards digital communication in Singapore and Perth, Western Australia, and explores the fundamental question of PR purpose.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice and in particular his notion of social capital, this exploratory study is based on the critical analysis of 31 semi-structured interviews with senior PR professionals in Singapore and Perth, Western Australia.FindingsPR professionals concur with assumptions made in the extant literature regarding the potential of digital media for PR, despite broad agreement that the fundamentals of good communication have not changed. At its core PR is about counselling, relationships and the building of social capital. Hence, digital tools and platforms are typically being referred to as merely an extension of the PR toolkit. However, as illustrated within the context of influencer engagement, PR has increasingly adopted advertising-led models and has moved away from its core business of developing strategic relationships and goodwill, hence contributing to the convergence of previously distinct communication functions.Originality/valueThis paper is believed to be one of the first to look at the theory of social capital related to PR within a digital context. Further, it takes a holistic view of PR professionals’ views on working with digital media in two geographical locations that have been under-represented in scholarly work in the field of PR. While much of the extant literature has focussed on the benefits of social media for PR, this paper takes a critical look at current challenges, including the rise of social media influencers. The paper contributes to theory relevant to social capital as it looks at the convergence of the professions relevant to digital disruption and argues for PR claiming its distinctive attributes.

scholarly journals Szkoła jako przestrzeń inkubacji aktywności cyfrowej nauczycieli edukacji wczesnoszkolnej

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Natalia Walter
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
School Community ◽  
School Support ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Self Development

In the paper we argue that school is a space for growing and developing digital activity of early education teachers. Based on an observational study and a literature review, we identified factors affecting such activity, i.e., individual features of teachers (competences, motivation, attitude towards self-development, lowliness, and willingness for change), their competence in handling electronic devices, technical equipment available at school, support from the school community along with clearly stated expectations (that the use of digital media is a must, not an option) and availability of trainings and places for exchanging experience and good practices.

Digital Media and Socialization

2009 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Mario Morcellini
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social System ◽  
Cultural Conditions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Traditional Institutions

The chapter reflects about the idea of crisis making evident that, in the case of communication, it doesn’t mean a reduction of importance, but on the contrary increasing and growth. The actual communication fortune is in fact built on what seems a lack in our societies that is the vaporization and loss of social capital. In front of the modern individualism, the social system moves people to search other functions able to balance it: communication is certainly one of the functions. It doesn’t help only individuals to get through the crisis, but it also promotes the increase of relations in the social system. The communication covers up the decline of traditional institutions (school, family, and religion) configuring a chance. Digital media, more than any other medium, becomes an expression of new social and cultural conditions.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurs and Social Capital in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olav Sorenson
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Structural Approach ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
The West ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Structural Holes ◽  
High Quality Data ◽  
Short Answer ◽  
Structural Configurations

Does social capital operate differently in China? A long and vibrant literature on the concept of guanxi suggests not only that social capital might have a different character in China but also that it might prove more valuable there to employees and entrepreneurs alike. Drawing on unusually high quality data on Chinese executives, Burt and Burzynska (2017) explore the question of whether the same structural configurations of relationships appear associated with success in China as have been found in the West. Their short answer is yes. As in the West, the founders and managers of larger companies have relationships characterized by a larger proportion of ‘structural holes’ – where the focal individual represents the only connection between his or her contacts (in other words, a brokering relationship). Closure – having multiple ties in common with another individual – meanwhile appears to foster trust, just as it does elsewhere. One could therefore view the results as strong evidence for the universality of a structural approach to social capital, one based on the patterns of relationships between individuals (e.g., Burt, 1992; Coleman, 1988; Podolny, 1993).

scholarly journals Prospects of Refugee Integration in the Netherlands: Social Capital, Information Practices and Digital Media

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Alencar ◽  
Vasilki Tsagkroni
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Host Society ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Over Time

Integration is a highly contested concept within the field of migration. However, a well-established view of the concept draws from underpinning migration and refugee theories, in which integration is seen as a dynamic, multidimensional, and <em>two-way</em> process of adaptation to a new culture and that takes place over time. Most studies have focused on the integration perspective of host societies, in particular how governments’ understandings of belonging shape legal frameworks of rights and citizenship and their impact on the process of integration itself. With a focus on refugee migration to the Netherlands, this study analyzes the newcomers’ perspectives and experiences of integration and information in the host society, as well as the role of digital media technologies and networks in mediating this relationship. Building on policies and refugee migrant interviews, the article sketches out the ongoing dynamics of social capital during refugees’ adaptation processes in the country and puts forward a perception of the role of media in the integration act.

Digital Media and Socialization

2008 ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Morcellini
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social System ◽  
Cultural Conditions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Traditional Institutions

The chapter reflects about the idea of crisis making evident that, in the case of communication, it doesn’t mean a reduction of importance, but on the contrary increasing and growth. The actual communication fortune is in fact built on what seems a lack in our societies that is the vaporization and loss of social capital. In front of the modern individualism, the social system moves people to search other functions able to balance it: communication is certainly one of the functions. It doesn’t help only individuals to get through the crisis, but it also promotes the increase of relations in the social system. The communication covers up the decline of traditional institutions (school, family, and religion) configuring a chance. Digital media, more than any other medium, becomes an expression of new social and cultural conditions.

Digital Engagement and Class

2020 ◽  
pp. 425-448
Author(s):  
Simeon J. Yates ◽  
Eleanor Lockley
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Class ◽  
New Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Media Access ◽  
Digital Studies ◽  
Digital Engagement ◽  
Network Patterns

This chapter focuses on a central and enduring issue in digital studies: digital inequalities, exclusion, or divides, with their changing emphases on access, use, skills, and positive and negative outcomes. However, it extends that literature by looking at how patterns of digital media access, skills, uses, and practices are related to overall systems of social inequality and distinction—that is, social class. Thus, how does social class influence digital inequalities, and, in turn, how do digital technologies mediate access to other social and community realms? Seven outcomes of digital inequalities stand out: material implications for people’s lives; growth of “digital by default” and “digital only” service delivery; centrality of digital to education; centrality of digital tow work; growth in digital culture and leisure; workplace automation and the digital economy; and fairness. The chapter examines key concepts such as social capital, cultural capital (embodied, objectified, institutionalized), habitus, fields of social exclusion, and doxa (Bourdieu; Helsper; Putnam). The chapter critiques the notions of “digital capital” or “information capital” as distinct forms of capital, instead arguing that digital has become crucial to, economic, cultural, and social capital in contemporary society. Results from analyses of national UK data show how eight categories of new media use (associated with digital aspects of habitus) are significantly associated with age, different economic or social classes, different network patterns reflecting social capital, and with different patterns of cultural consumption. Thus differential use of new media by different categories and social classes of users can lead to differential access to skills, resources, and opportunities in society. These inequalities lead to different educational and life opportunities that have the potential to underpin long-term variations in outcomes.

Digital Inequality

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eszter Hargittai ◽  
Yuli Patrick Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Background Characteristics ◽  
Digital Inequality ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types

This chapter investigates the research on inequalities in society, and also considers the digital inequality beyond overly simplistic conceptions of access to technologies. Additionally, it describes how people's background characteristics relate to their web-use skills and what they do online. The social implications of differentiated Internet uses are covered. The theoretical perspectives presented point out various forms of inequality associated with information and communications technology (ICT) uses, and explore both the causes and consequences of digital inequalities from various research fields and traditions. It is noted that skills are not randomly distributed across the population, and that the social context of use refers to how people integrate digital media into their lives. Different types of online activities may have divergent implications for varying aspects of social capital. There are three possible outcomes of widespread digital media uses when it comes to social inequality.

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