Bowling Alone

Description

Robert D. Putnam investigates why American civic life has weakened since the middle of the twentieth century. Drawing on surveys and membership data, he tracks declining participation in elections, public meetings, political parties, churches, clubs, committees, and other organizations that once sustained regular face-to-face contact. These networks create social capital—the trust and habits of cooperation that help communities solve problems and democracies function—and their erosion carries consequences beyond loneliness. Putnam considers how changing membership patterns and increasingly individualized leisure, especially technology-centered leisure, reduce direct interaction. A revised discussion weighs the Internet and social media as sources of both connection and isolation. The book ultimately turns from diagnosis toward associations and public policies capable of rebuilding shared civic life.

Themes