(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
If such investment ceases, or is not resourced and nurtured properly, then surely this will
affect the viability of the publication. Much of the literature on regional newspapers and
social capital overlooks the economic reality of these institutions, preferring to focus on their
civic culture, community building and ‘public good’ functions. The role of classifieds and
advertising for example, as sources of social capital, are not given space in academic
discussion around social theory. This paper argues that any examination of the regional media
and the value of social capital should consider that social capital is rooted in economics
(Bourdieu 1986) and both editorial and advertising content are sources of social capital for a
regional newspaper.
Bridging the gap in media and social capital literature.
All three founding theorists of social capital consider the existence of networks important to the
development and preservation of social capital. What scholars of social capital mean by networks
differs considerably, however. Adler and Kwon (2000) argue some theorists focus on internal ties
within society such as informal face to face interaction or membership within civic associations or
social clubs, wheras network theorists argue the focus should be on an actor’s social capital both
through the actor’s direct ties and indirect ties within the broader network which they are embedded
((Scott 1991; Tichy 1981)Manual Castells (1996) defines networks as “open structures able
to expand without limits, integrating new nodes as long as they share the same
communication codes (or values) (Castells 1996, p. 470).
Whereas Coleman and Bourdieu focus on the importance of close ties within a network,
Putnam argues bridging is particularly powerful in acquiring social capital and this stream of
thought has been further developed by contemporary scholars such as Nan Lin (Lin, Burt &
Cook 2001) and Michael Woolcock. Woolcock (2001), for example, expands on the work of
Coleman and Putnam, by defining three types of social capital in a network:
bonding social capital: consisting of strong ties including family, close friends, neighbours,
colleagues.
bridging social capital: refers to weak ties, where individuals may share similar economic or
political positions, but who differ in terms of location, occupation or ethnicity.
linking social capital: pertains to connections with people in power, whether
they are in politically or financially influential positions
(Woolcock, M 2001; Woolcock, M. & Sweetser 2002) One of the earliest scholars on social
capital and neighbourhood networks is Jane Jacobs who
The role of information broker
The concept of bridging bares strong association with the idea of ‘brokerage’ which was first
considered in the 1960s by American urban activist Jane Jacobs ((Adler 2000; Nahapiet
1998), who viewed social capital as:
"....underlying any float of population must be a continuity of people who have forged
neighborhood networks. These networks are a city's irreplaceable social capital."
(Jacobs 1961, p. 148)
Using examples from her observations on NYC sidewalks, she argued the social life of these
spaces brought together people who did not normally have a close bond with each other.
It is her observation of the role of ‘public characters’ in bringing together people within a
neighbourhood that is of most relevant to this research. She noted how basic ‘public
characters’ such as bar tenders and shopkeepers acted as information brokers, interacting with
many different community members to facilitate the circulation of news and information,
without imposing on their sociability ((Adler 2000, p. 97). Importantly, Jacobs noted that the
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