Sense of Community and Social Capital: The Role of the Internet in Shaping Social Dynamics

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study on the role of internet based mediation among children’s communities and proposes a theoretical framework for the study of communities and their related online experience, introducing social capital and activity as key elements. The main goal is to understand the ways children interact with online social technologies and how they use them within the context of their own community to promote social interaction and knowledge acquisition.