Abstract

This study sets forth a research agenda for understanding the social implications of the transfer of Internet technology to broad use by the mass public. In line with that agenda, the article presents an empirical examination of the relationship between Internet technology use and social capital effects in the form of social trust and personal trust. At the aggregate level, 40 cities are examined in terms of their level of being "wired" and their overall level of trust. At the individual level, surveys of the public in Minneapolis and Atlanta are employed to determine if individuals who use the Internet are more or less trustful than those who do not. Although the conclusions differ somewhat depending on the particular measure of trust employed, the overall finding is that Internet technology use at both the aggregate and the individual level is associated with higher levels of trust, even when controlling for the demographics of the city and the personal characteristics of individuals.

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