by Jen Lynds

UTIMES Advisor

The crew behind “The Writer’s Room” podcast released the second episode of Season Two on Monday, Nov. 4.

The episode is titled “Finding and Keeping Social Capital.”

Belen Dougherty, editor of The University Times, hosted the episode. She was joined by English/Journalism/Communication Professor Jen Lynds, Political Science Professor Daniel Dobbs, and Dr.Tomasz Herzog, professor of social foundations and social studies education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. 

The podcast centered around the documentary “Join or Die,”  based on the research of political scientist Robert Putnam. The author is renowned for his book Bowling Alone. The book and the documentary investigate the consequences of social isolation and the erosion of civic engagement in the United States. 

The film, directed by Pete and Rebecca Davis, emphasizes how the decline of local organizations and social groups—including bowling leagues, PTA groups, and unions—worsened societal disconnection and lonely living. 

Putnam argues that civic engagement and organizational involvement experienced an alarming decline in the latter half of the 20th century. He pondered whether an overall decrease in the quantity of social capital was the cause of some of the obstacles that the United States was encountering. 

Dougherty explained that social capital is a way for you to “open more opportunities … .and a way to build social capital is through engagement; to go to clubs and different events. If you do that, people will see you, so you are gaining capital. Having social capital in rural communities is vital for you to be able to earn better…the more social capital you have, the more likely it is that you will have income.” 

Lynds noted that younger children need more education about communication skills to help them build social capital with other children. Dobbs contended that the internet and social media were contributing to social disconnection. 

Herzog questioned the group about whether this has contributed to political alienation and voting participation and what this could mean for the future.

Every episode of “The Writer’s Room” examines trends influencing the media landscape, including misinformation, bias, social media, and citizen journalism.

Click this link to listen to the podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-university-times/episodes/Finding-and-Keeping-Social-Capital-e2qhkq2