| The goal of this study is to re-examine the link between social capital and mass media use by: (1) deriving a solid theoretical framework for the conceptualization of social capital; (2) utilizing improved content-specific measures of newspaper, television and Internet use; (3) applying both quantitative and qualitative approaches with the purpose of methodological triangulation.; To that end, this study first conceptualizes social capital as consisting of two complementary categories---structural and cognitive. The structural component of social capital describes the various forms of social organization, particularly different types of networks. Cognitive social capital is normally embodied in the norms, values, attitudes and beliefs individuals hold.; The quantitative hypotheses and research questions were tested using data from 294 respondents to a mail survey conducted in a Topeka, Kansas. Two focus groups including a mapping exercise generated the qualitative data.; The quantitative and qualitative findings indicate a positive relationship between newspaper hard news consumption and structural and cognitive social capital. Reading the daily record news section in the newspaper, however, emerged as significant but negative factor in both structural and cognitive social capital. Television's role for levels of social capital was more pronounced in research questions and hypotheses about commercial station preference and viewing experiences, not different types of content. In general, exposure to commercial stations and habitual viewing influenced negatively social capital. Despite generational differences in the use of the Internet, use of online content for information exchange was positively related to structural social capital. New technology does not seem to be inherently bad to social capital. On the contrary, certain uses of the Internet might be giving new ways of maintaining social ties. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that different types of media content exert divergent influences on the two types of social capital. |
