Alienated, Alone and Angry: What the Digital Revolution Did?
One thing to note is that Robert Putnam wrote the original <i>Bowling Alone</i> essay in 1995. Well before most people in America even had Internet access.<p>The trend of declining participation in religious organizations, civic organizations (like the League of Women Voters), fraternal societies (like the Elks or Masons), volunteer associations, labor unions, and sports leagues has been happening since at least the 1970s. Surveys of Americans have found a consistent decline in the number of self-reported close friends since as far back as the 1980s. Same for those who reported being friends with their neighbors. Indicators of social capital like the percent of people who donate blood have been falling since the 1970s.<p>The point is increasing levels of isolation and misanthropy is a manifestation of a broader trend towards declining social capital. And that trend has been ongoing for probably 50 years. Social media may have accelerated it, but I don&#x27;t think it would have anywhere near the same impact if Facebook was introduced to the American society of 1960.