世新大學圖書館

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-09, Section: A, page: 2914.

Chair: Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Southern California, 2001.

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.

School code: 0208.