Internet Usage and Social Isolation

Does internet access hurt social capital? In one study, we find that access to broadband internet in the household does not reduce societal engagement and social contacts, but in fact increases them. The results refute the widespread prejudice that the internet may lead to social isolation in the real world.

Here you can learn more about my research on this topic.

My most important academic paper on the topic is:

Surfing Alone? The Internet and Social Capital: Evidence from an Unforeseeable Technological Mistake (with S. Bauernschuster and O. Falck). Journal of Public Economics 117: 73-89, 2014

A contribution about our research results in The Observer, 7.8.2011

Additional material is available in German.