Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet-the 20th
anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis and its
examination of what happened to our sense of community remains more relevant than ever in
today's fractured America. Twenty years ago Robert D. Putnam made a seemingly simple
observation: once we bowled in leagues usually after work but no longer. This seemingly small
phenomenon symbolized a significant social change that became the basis of the acclaimed
bestseller Bowling Alone which The Washington Post called a very important book and Putnam
the de Tocqueville of our generation. Bowling Alone surveyed in detail Americans' changing
behavior over the decades showing how we had become increasingly disconnected from family
friends neighbors and social structures whether it's with the PTA church clubs political
parties or bowling leagues. In the revised edition of his classic work Putnam shows how our
shrinking access to the social capital that is the reward of communal activity and community
sharing still poses a serious threat to our civic and personal health and how these
consequences have a new resonance for our divided country today. He includes critical new
material on the pervasive influence of social media and the internet which has introduced
previously unthinkable opportunities for social connection-as well as unprecedented levels of
alienation and isolation. At the time of its publication Putnam's then-groundbreaking work
showed how social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction and how the loss
of social capital is felt in critical ways acting as a strong predictor of crime rates and
other measures of neighborhood quality of life and affecting our health in other ways. While
the ways in which we connect or become disconnected have changed over the decades his
central argument remains as powerful and urgent as ever: mending our frayed social capital is
key to preserving the very fabric of our society.
