Social Capital in Online Social Networks
As part of my postgraduate research I did a lot of work on Social Network Theory and Social Capital — two academic theories from the social sciences field. This was before the rise of online social networking sites. I recently revisited some of the work I did, and I became interested in mapping the concept of Social Capital to online social networks as they exist today. In order to to that, here is first a definition and explanation (pulled from my dissertation):
Closely related to social network theory is the theory of ‘social capital’ which deals with the intrinsic value of network structures. In general terms, social capital “consists of resources embedded in social relations and social structure, which can be mobilized when an actor wished to increase the likelihood of success in a purposive action” (Lin, 2001b). Lin (2001a) points out two important components concerning this definition:
Related posts
Science in Daily Life
In the history of mankind, advent of Science is the greatest blessing. Science has come to relieve mankind from sufferings, ignorance and to control nature. It has been defined as a systematized body of wisdom and knowledge which can give rise to greater and greater inventions. Science has also been known as a faithful servant of man who serves all his life and as per the orders of man. Science can be harmful if we misuse it.
Science has brought about far-reaching changes in every sphere of our daily life. Now everybody can afford to avail the benefits of luxuries and comforts created by Science. Science has made goods cheap and readily available and has brought them within reach of every individual. All kinds of gadgets of music, entertainment and communication have been brought to our door with the help of Science. Surely, the life of man is very different from what it used to be few years back. Truly, Science has given ears to the deaf, eyes to the blind and limbs to the crippled.
The Science Education Belief In America
Political leaders, tech executives, and academics often claim that the U.S. is falling behind in math and science education
. They cite poor test results, declining international rankings, and decreasing enrollment in the hard sciences. They urge us to improve our education system and to graduate more engineers and scientists to keep pace with countries such as India and China.
Yet a new report by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, tells a different story. The report disproves many confident pronouncements about the alleged weaknesses and failures of the U.S. education system. This data will certainly be examined by both sides in the debate over highly skilled workers and immigration. The argument by Microsoft, Google, Intel, and others is that there are not enough tech workers in the U.S.
