The magnifying glass effect: Negotiating individualism and community on the Internet

This dissertation uses a socio-cultural shaping of technology perspective for understanding the relationships between peoples' social on-line and off-line connections. It proposes that establishing on-line social ties reflects people's more general orientation to social interaction. This orientation, encapsulated in values, beliefs and behaviors, is also reflected in their off-line social connections. Two types of social and cultural orientations, one emphasizing individualist self-expression and the other community involvement, are looked at as possible cultural contexts for on-line and off-line bonds. The study employs a “magnifying glass” theoretical model predicting that those who are community oriented are more likely to maintain strong social ties both with other people in the real world and on-line. Self-oriented individuals will have weak ties in both spaces. Thus, rather than creating unique opportunities for socialization the Internet reflects people's preexisting social and cultural propensities.; This model is translated into 4 main hypothesis clusters: (1) The Internet as a social communication tool is surrounded by visions more appealing to individualists than to those less inclined to individualism; (2) Propensity of establishing on-line social ties increases (or decreases) with strength of off-line belonging; i.e. there is a “magnifying glass effect;” (3) Individualism mediates this effect; Internet conmmunication enhances social connectedness more for those less inclined to individualism, than for individualists; (4) Ideological belief in the perceived social virtues of the Internet deters on-line social bond formation.; Data analysis was performed on 2 national representative samples (1994 General Social Survey N = 1606 and the 2000 Internet CBS Poll N = 1491) and 2 spatially-focused samples of Los Angeles residents (Metamorphosis study, N = 1812 and an on-line survey N = 97). The empirical results indicate that: (1) the Internet is surrounded by visions more appealing to those more inclined to individualism; (2) likelihood of establishing on-line ties increases with strength of off-line community belonging; (3) ideological belief in the perceived social virtues of the Internet has individualistic connotations and is disconnected from the on-line social experience. Individualism, measured through disconnection from family, political and religious institutions did not, however, consistently mediate between level of off-line belonging and on-line social ties formation.