Getting Online but Still Living Offline: The Complex Relationship of Technology Adoption and In-person Social Networks

Previous research in Kyrgyzstan has demonstrated the importance of close social networks as avenues for gathering and sharing information, assistance and goods in the country. However, the relationship between technology use and social network use has not been investigated; understanding this relationship is important when considering the design of technology applications that support existing social networks. Contrary to Robert Putnampsilas hypothesis that technologies have an "individualizing" force on populations, we have found that social network patterns do not appear to be negatively associated with higher technology use. In fact, the higher the level of technology use, the more face-to-face social networks were used for multiple types of information seeking.