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.
