This project focuses on how the use of new communication technologies, such as social media and mobile phones, affects the durability of relationships, including intergenerational ties (e.g., child-parent-grandparent relations), exposure to other people’s opinions and background, and how this exposure is related to outcomes such as social tolerance. This work tests a new theory in the study of community, that new technologies facilitate persistent contact and pervasive awareness of social ties. As a result of persistence, relationships may be less transitory than in the recent past. This research expands our understanding of how the use of new technologies is related to the supportive nature of people’s communities, the communication of diverse information, and interaction that could help counter the loss of social capital in contemporary communities. These processes and trends have the potential to increase social cohesion and social tolerance, thus improving the well-being of individuals and society. Keith Hampton is leading this project, currently funded by the NSF, he is preparing a new submission for continued NSF support.
