I thoroughly enjoyed the article "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital" by Robert Putnam and I was shocked at the conclusion that drew. I know it's obvious that voter turnout has declined and that pessimisim and dissatisfaction towards the government has increased, but seeing it backed up with so many facts and figures made it all the more real.
What struck me as the most important were the physiological changes that Putnam observed. That citizens have less social trust as well as the fact that family ties in the United States are becoming weaker. I believe that the weakening of social relationships combined with the isolating powers of technology and social media are the true forces behind heightened individualism. This got me to think, are Americans overall suffering from loneliness? If so, is that a symptom or the cause of decreased civic engagement?
Paige,
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful question. And it pushes me to also wonder about the role of happiness in the American dream: is being happy the reverse of being lonely? If not, what is the opposite of being lonely?
LDL