Robert Putnam

I'm doing great. And as you did, please call me Bob. Nobody who knows me calls me Robert. So it's useful if I get a call on my cell phone and they say, Robert, I just hang up because they can't possibly know me. So Bob it is.

I'm doing great. And as you did, please call me Bob. Nobody who knows me calls me Robert. So it's useful if I get a call on my cell phone and they say, Robert, I just hang up because they can't possibly know me. So Bob it is.

I'm doing great. And as you did, please call me Bob. Nobody who knows me calls me Robert. So it's useful if I get a call on my cell phone and they say, Robert, I just hang up because they can't possibly know me. So Bob it is.

Yes, I'm glad you said that. I didn't. But yes, I agree with you.

Yes, I'm glad you said that. I didn't. But yes, I agree with you.

Yes, I'm glad you said that. I didn't. But yes, I agree with you.

First of all, our connections with other people, all sorts of connections, connections with our friends and our family and with the community and with bowling leagues and so on. have basically been, all of them, trust in other people, all of them have been going down roughly since the mid-1960s. Way before, iPhones were invented way before.

First of all, our connections with other people, all sorts of connections, connections with our friends and our family and with the community and with bowling leagues and so on. have basically been, all of them, trust in other people, all of them have been going down roughly since the mid-1960s. Way before, iPhones were invented way before.

First of all, our connections with other people, all sorts of connections, connections with our friends and our family and with the community and with bowling leagues and so on. have basically been, all of them, trust in other people, all of them have been going down roughly since the mid-1960s. Way before, iPhones were invented way before.

So the basic trend can't be caused by these things we carry around. A question is whether social media, I'm going to simplify it to social media, can make up for the fact that we're no longer bowling together. Are they better than bowling leagues? Or worse than bowling leagues, if I can put it that way.

So the basic trend can't be caused by these things we carry around. A question is whether social media, I'm going to simplify it to social media, can make up for the fact that we're no longer bowling together. Are they better than bowling leagues? Or worse than bowling leagues, if I can put it that way.

So the basic trend can't be caused by these things we carry around. A question is whether social media, I'm going to simplify it to social media, can make up for the fact that we're no longer bowling together. Are they better than bowling leagues? Or worse than bowling leagues, if I can put it that way.

And at the beginning, around in the first decade or so of this century, many people claimed that social media were going to... You know, they were going to be great. Better than sliced bread. They were going to bring world peace and so on. The data didn't show that. And gradually, the data began to question whether social media were...

And at the beginning, around in the first decade or so of this century, many people claimed that social media were going to... You know, they were going to be great. Better than sliced bread. They were going to bring world peace and so on. The data didn't show that. And gradually, the data began to question whether social media were...

And at the beginning, around in the first decade or so of this century, many people claimed that social media were going to... You know, they were going to be great. Better than sliced bread. They were going to bring world peace and so on. The data didn't show that. And gradually, the data began to question whether social media were...

as good as, or maybe even worse than, face-to-face connections. And that was the way the scientific evidence was tending. It may be nice to be on Facebook, but it's not making up for the declines in real face-to-face connections. Then in 2020, we had COVID, and we had a big global experiment in which we couldn't be face-to-face, but we still could Zoom. And that gave us a nice test.

as good as, or maybe even worse than, face-to-face connections. And that was the way the scientific evidence was tending. It may be nice to be on Facebook, but it's not making up for the declines in real face-to-face connections. Then in 2020, we had COVID, and we had a big global experiment in which we couldn't be face-to-face, but we still could Zoom. And that gave us a nice test.

as good as, or maybe even worse than, face-to-face connections. And that was the way the scientific evidence was tending. It may be nice to be on Facebook, but it's not making up for the declines in real face-to-face connections. Then in 2020, we had COVID, and we had a big global experiment in which we couldn't be face-to-face, but we still could Zoom. And that gave us a nice test.

Well, how about it? Is zooming with grandma better than hugging grandma or not? And I can tell you when that verdict became universal, namely November 25th, 2020, and people all over the country said, no, I'm sorry, hugging grandma was much better than this.

Well, how about it? Is zooming with grandma better than hugging grandma or not? And I can tell you when that verdict became universal, namely November 25th, 2020, and people all over the country said, no, I'm sorry, hugging grandma was much better than this.