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Annual Review of Economics

Volume 14, 2022

Media and Social Capital

Abstract

We survey the empirical literature in economics on the impact of media technologies on social capital. Guided by a simple model of information and collective action, we cover a range of different outcomes related to social capital—from social and political participation to interpersonal trust—in its benign and destructive manifestations. The impact of media technologies hinges on their content (information versus entertainment), their effectiveness in fostering coordination, and the networks they create as well as on individual characteristics and media consumption choices.

Keyword(s): collective action, coordination, information, JEL D71, JEL D72, JEL D74, JEL D83, JEL D84, JEL Z13, media, participation, social capital
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2022-08-12
2024-04-16
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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-economics-083121-050914
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Media and Social Capital
Annual Review of Economics 14, 69 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-083121-050914
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-economics-083121-050914
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-economics-083121-050914
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