Ambient awareness as antidote to “bowling alone”

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:54:58 +0000

I’ve always been a little unsettled by Robert Putnam’s vision of the declining sense of community in America (outlined in his book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community). Not that I disputed his research, but because it seemed that he was only measuring part of the picture of what community interaction meant (and who was typically included — and excluded — in the common definitions of community). So, I was interested to see in a thoughtful discussion about living in the age of digital intimacy a mention of Putnam’s “bowling alone” thesis put in stark contrast with new modes of connecting and interacting online. Definitely something to keep sorting out as Facebook, Twitter, et. al. continue encroaching into our daily social interactions.

Gary Otake

Ambient awareness as antidote to “bowling alone”