Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
A new Pew Internet report done jointly with University of Toronto sociologists shows that the internet helps cultivate social networks and put them into action at times when people need help on important matters in their lives.
Getting information means getting help for the big and small challenges people encounter. On the face of things, getting one’s car repaired appears as easy as opening the phone book and looking for a mechanic. Finding a job might seem as straightforward as looking at the want ads, going to a job fair, or to […]
Large social networks provide opportunities and burdens. The opportunities provided by large social networks are obvious. There are more people to socialize with and to provide social capital. There is the possibility for more diversity in larger networks, and that expands the kinds of experiences people share within a network and the kinds of resources […]
Washington, D.C. For much of the 20th century, social scientists and policymakers argued that democratization and modernity would render religion insignificant and irrelevant. They were wrong, says Timothy Shah, senior Pew Forum fellow in religion and world affairs, who contends religion is booming in many countries and democracy has given religious leaders a growing political […]
Does the internet degrade friendship, kinship, civic involvement, and social capital? One of the great debates about the internet is what it is doing to the relationships that Americans have with friends, relatives, neighbors, and workmates. On the one hand, many extol the internet’s abilities to extend our relationships — we can contact people across […]
Washington, D.C. Recent violence between Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim guerrilla group, and Israel; sectarian conflict in Iraq and escalating tensions around Iran’s nuclear ambitions have drawn urgent attention to the resurgence and politicization of Shiite Islam and its relationship to Sunni Islam. The Pew Forum and the Council on Foreign Relations invited Vali Nasr, author […]
Does email substitute for or augment in-person and phone contact? Since the internet became popular, analysts have wondered about the relationship between email and other means of social contact. Some studies test the replacement hypothesis by examining whether the frequency of email messages sent or received corresponds to decreases (or even increases) in the frequency […]
University of Southern California Los Angeles, California April 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, an event that is often cited as the birth of modern pentecostalism. Since then, pentecostalism has emerged as one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world. Nowhere is this more […]