Summary/Response(?): Bowling Alone

Putnam, R.D. (2000).  Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.  New York, NY.

Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone (2000) is an informative piece on how innovations in the lives of Americans has led to an increasing disconnect among the general community of the country.  For example, how things such as the mass media through television, the shifting general migration into suburban areas, and improvements to transportation methods have unset many of the common community values in Americans.  I have not had time to read over the whole book as of yet to get an extremely concise summary, but I felt this one suitable to check out, as this work is referenced in much of the literature I have examined as of yet for its  use of "social capital" as a concept.

From a brief skimming of the book, Putnam does use a rather down-to-earth tone in his writing, but he still sounds properly authoritative all the same.  His use of statistics throughout the book to prove his points enhances his credibility.  The book is recent enough that it mentions video games in passing--this may be a bit of a hindrance in itself, as only a couple of lines in the text are devoted to that subject, but the overall subject matter of the book is an important one to consider in the context nonetheless.