Surfing alone? The Internet and social capital: evidence from Indonesia.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine how internet access affects social capital in Indonesia's community, based on the data from the fifth wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) with the instrumental variable (IV) method. The results showed that the use of the Internet plays a significant role in strengthening social capital in Indonesia, especially for male heads of households that have a relationship with neighbors with strong internal cohesion and mutual trust. Internet users in Java and Bali are more affectial in strengthening social capital compared to users outside the islands located in eastern Indonesia. This disparity is because most Indonesian internet users live in the western part of the country. Furthermore, there is a development disparity in regard to internet infrastructure and internet connection service availability throughout the country.