Rodzinne i przyjacielskie sieci społeczne, czyli o mobilizujących i demobilizujących kontekstach aktywności obywatelskiej
Familial and Friendship‑Oriented Social Networks, or on the Mobilizing and Demobilizing Contexts of Civic Activity

Author(s): Zbigniew Zagała
Subject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Psychology, Communication studies, Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: social networks; social and civil activity; mobilizing potential; Upper Silesia
Summary/Abstract: The answers of scholars concerning the determining factors in social, political and civic activity of individuals are based on different models which explain the reasons why some people are active while others remain passive. The article focuses on the mobilizing model, which analyzes the relationships between individuals and their social environment. The article, therefore, aims to answer the question: do familial and friendship‑orientedsocial networks affect the engagement of their participants in social and civic activity, and what is the significance of that activity depending on different conditions? The results ofa study conducted in Silesia over the past few years allow to conclude that networkswhich include people who are or used to be active in the public sphere have significant mobilizing potential in comparison to networks which do not include such socially and politically active individuals. The two types of networks referenced above create two different environments for civic socialization, which result in the emergence of significant differences in social attitudes among their members.

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