Technological Change and Collective Association: Changing Relationships Among Technology, Organizations, Society, and the Citizenry

由于许多原因，各种组织是社会结构的组成部分。他们调解公民之间以及公民与国家之间的关系，他们影响社会资本和集体身份的性质，他们组织集体行动。组织对技术变革越来越敏感。本研究的主题是技术、组织变革和社会变革之间的关系。研究已经表明，技术可以影响组织的运作方式。关键信息技术影响组织结构、战略和边界，以及它们的资源需求和范围。研究还表明，在美国，公共组织性质的大规模变化已经持续了几十年。尤其重要的是，与信任和社会资本的发展有关的一系列传统的、面对面的组织的成员和活力的丧失。公民的参与越来越多地转向更加匿名、以利益为导向的群体，这些群体据称对社会资本和社区卫生的贡献较小。这两种趋势现在交叉在一起：公共组织组成的长期长期演变是社会结构不可或缺的一部分，而组织能做什么以及组织结构的快速但可能长期存在的技术变革。本研究考察了这些趋势的交集，通过比较四类组织及其成员的几个维度，从他们产生集体行动的能力到他们在公民中产生社会信任和共同目标感和共同认同感的能力。这些组织类别是：传统组织面向公民之间的个人、社区互动（如美国退伍军人协会、扶轮社）；有社会政治议程但会员关系基本匿名的利益导向组织（如美国退休人员协会、全国教育协会）；在线个人互动小组（如Yahoo groups， Lycos Clubs）和在线兴趣小组（如MoveOn.org, SaveOurEnvironment.org）。这种双重方法将每个班级中一个组织的深入定性案例研究与每个班级中随机选择的几个组织的合并成员的随机调查相结合。该项目推进了技术与社会变革的多学科理论，综合了集体行动理论、组织理论、沟通理论和社会资本理论。它使用两种通常不结合的方法从经验上探讨了这一理论：用统计模型进行个人层面的调查研究；以及组织层面的定性案例研究。除了学术报告和出版物外，项目结果将包括口头和书面报告以及向公共组织提出关于在非营利环境中使用信息技术的建议。此外，本研究探讨了组织和公共生活中的社会多样性问题，研究结果可能对扩大组织的吸引力有价值。最后，该项目将促进研究生的培训，并将为加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的几门研究生课程做出贡献。

Organizations of various kinds are integral to the fabric of society, for many reasons. They mediate relationships among citizens and between citizens and the state, they influence the nature of social capital and collective identities, and they structure collective action. Increasingly, organizations are sensitive to technological change. The subject of this study is relationships among technology, organizational change, and societal change. Research has already shown that technology can influence how organizations operate. Key information technologies affect organizational structure, strategy, and boundaries as well as their resource requirements and reach. Research has also shown that large-scale changes in the character of public organizations have been underway for decades in the U.S. Of particular importance is a loss of membership and vitality in a wide array of traditional, face-to-face organizations that are associated with the development of trust and social capital. Citizens' engagement has increasingly shifted to more anonymous, interest-oriented groups alleged to be less powerful contributors to social capital and community health. These two trends now intersect: long-term secular evolution in the composition of public organizations that are so integral to the structure of society, and rapid but likely long-lived technological changes in what organizations can do and how they are structured. This study examines the intersection of these trends, by comparing four classes of organizations and their members along several dimensions, from their capacity to generate collective action to their ability to generate social trust and a sense of shared purpose and common identification among citizens. These classes of organizations are: traditional organizations oriented toward personal, community-based interaction among citizens (e.g. American Legion, Rotary Club); interest oriented organizations with socio-political agendas but largely anonymous membership relationships (e.g. AARP, National Education Association); online personal-interaction groups (e.g. Yahoo Groups, Lycos Clubs) and online interest-oriented groups (e.g., MoveOn.org, SaveOurEnvironment.org). The twofold methodology merges in-depth qualitative case studies of one organization in each class with randomized surveys of pooled memberships of several randomly chosen organizations in each class. The project advances a multidisciplinary theory of technology and social change that synthesizes collective action theory, organization theories, communication theory, and social capital theory. It explores this theory empirically, using two methodologies that are typically not joined: individual-level survey research with statistical modeling; and organization-level, qualitative case-study research. Besides scholarly presentations and publications, project results will include oral and written reports and recommendations to public organizations about the use of information technology in non-profit settings. In addition, this research examines questions of social diversity in organizations and public life, and findings may be of value in the broadening of organizations' appeal. Finally, the project will advance the training of graduate students and will contribute to the substance of several graduate courses at UC Santa Barbara.