Research Trends
According to DiMaggio et al. (2001), research tends to focus on the Internet's implications in five domains:
- inequality (the issues of digital divide)
- community and social capital (the issues of time displacement)
- political participation (the issues of public sphere, deliberative democracy and civil society)
- organizations and other economic institutions
- cultural participation and cultural diversity
Early on, there were predictions that the Internet would change everything (or nothing); over time, however, a consensus emerged that the Internet, at least in the current phase of development, complements rather than displaces previously implemented media. This has meant a rethinking of the 1990s ideas of "convergence of new and old media". Further, the Internet offers a rare opportunity to study changes caused by the newly emerged - and likely, still evolving - information and communication technology (ICT).
Read more about this topic: Sociology Of The Internet
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