Social Diversification: A Perspective for the Study of Social networks of Adolescents Offline and Online

Abstract

Current academic and policy debates on the social implications of gaps in the adoption of information and communication technologies have focused on the “digital divide” concept to describe the uneven social distribution and use of the Internet (Anderson et al., 1995; Fong, Wellman, Kew and Wilkes, 2004). Information and communication technologies (ICT’s) are conceived as an agent of change in society because they support the rapid creation, diffusion and access of information, the formation of social networks, and the accumulation of social capital (Lin, 2001; DiMaggio et al., 2001). In this sense, many suggest that ICT’s can reduce social inequalities by lowering the cost of information and enhancing the ability of socially marginal groups to gain human capital, compete for good jobs, and enhance their life chances (Anderson, et al., 1995). At the same time, many scholars are concerned that the Internet is creating a post-industrial society of information haves and have-nots that exacerbates rather than alleviate existing inequalities (DiMaggio and Hargittai, 2001). Reducing the digital divide has become a concern of social activists, non-profit organizations, political activists, and governments.