Ilan Talmud

The Quality of Online and Offline Relationships: The Role of Multiplexity and Duration of Social Relationships

Recent studies have shown that adolescents use the Internet not only to maintain social relationships with distant relatives and friends but also to create new relationships online; some of these friendships become integrated into their social circle. Research has focused mainly on the effect of the Internet on existing relationships or the nature of online-only ties, so studies comparing the quality of online and face-to-face relationships are missing. The goal of this study is to bridge this gap. In keeping with previous studies on social association, we argue that the quality of social relationships is dependent on duration and diversity of topics and activities carried together. Time is important, as it facilitates the development of a collective shared history and identity. Intimacy develops through the participation in shared activities and discussion of diverse issues of personal concern. Using a representative sample of the adolescent population in Israel, we find that closeness to a friend is a function of social similarity, content and activity multiplexity, and duration of the relationships. Friendships originated in the Internet are perceived as less close and supportive because they are relatively new and online friends are involved in less joint activities and less topics of discussion. The implications of the findings are discussed.

A Gender-based Framework of the Experience of Job Insecurity and Its Effects on Work Attitudes

Gender effects on job insecurity and other work attitudes (organizational commitment, tendency to quit, resistance to change, perceived performance, and perceived organizational support) were investigated, with Israeli schoolteachers as a case in point. On a multidimensional measure of job insecurity, males and females significantly differed in their level and profile of job insecurity: Males were more insecure and emphasized financial concerns, whereas females expressed concerns about intrinsic facets of their jobs as well as financial concerns. Gender effects on work attitudes exceeded the effects of job insecurity and other demographic characteristics for most of the work attitudes studied. Moreover, job insecurity affected work attitudes differently for men and women: For females, all job attitudes were adversely affected by job insecurity; for males, only organizational commitment, intention to leave, and resistance to change were affected. Gender theories are applied to explain the differences found...

Structural Equivalence and International Conflict

The concept of international affinity—albeit under different names—captures a central place in international relations research. This study examines how different types of affinity affect the likelihood of conflict between states. The authors discuss different types of affinities as these appear in the realist and liberal paradigms. They offer a social networks conception of structural affinity—the concept of structural equivalence—which reflects the similarity of international ties across a set of different networks. They test the hypotheses derived from these paradigms, using both existing measures of affinity and their own structural equivalence measures. Their findings suggest that (1) strategic affinity has a consistent dampening effect on the probability of dyadic conflict, (2) trade-related affinity does consistently affect the probability of dyadic conflict, and (3) intergovernmental organization-related affinity has a negative impact on conflict, mostly in the twentieth century.

What is the Enemy of My Enemy? Causes and Consequences of Imbalanced International Relations, 1816-2001

This study explores logical and empirical implications of friendship and enmity in world politics by linking indirect international relations (e.g., “the enemy of my enemy,” “the enemy of my friend”) to direct relations (“my friend,” “my enemy”). The realist paradigm suggests that states ally against common enemies and thus states sharing common enemies should not fight each other. Nor are states expected to ally with enemies of their allies or with allies of their enemies. Employing social network methodology to measure direct and indirect relations, we find that international interactions over the last 186 years exhibit significant relational imbalances: states that share the same enemies and allies are disproportionately likely to be both allies and enemies at the same time. Our explanation of the causes and consequences of relational imbalances for international conflict/cooperation combines ideas from the realist and the liberal paradigms. “Realist” factors such as the presence of strategic rivalry, opportunism and exploitative tendencies, capability parity, and contiguity increase the likelihood of relational imbalances. On the other hand, factors consistent with the liberal paradigm (e.g., joint democracy, economic interdependence, shared IGO membership) tend to reduce relational imbalances. Finally, we find that the likelihood of conflict increases with the presence of relational imbalances. We explore the theoretical and practical implications of these issues.

Wired youth: The social world of adolescence in the information age.

1. The Information Age, Youth and Social Networks. 2. The Internet at Home. 3. Sociability and Internet Use. 4. Online Relationship Formation. 5. ICT and Existing Ties. 6. The Impact of ICT on Social Network Structure 7. Online Communication and Negative Social Ties 8. Summary and Discussion.

The relationship between gender and performance issues of concern to directors: correlates or institution?

Summary This paper focuses on the influence of gender on performance issues which concern directors of publicly traded corporations in Israel. Two theoretical perspectives for the explanation of gender diAerences in occupations were examined. The first views gender as an individual-level property that is correlated with occupational and job variables and the behavioral diAerences between men and women as the result of these correlates. According to this perspective, when the correlates of gender are controlled, these diAerences disappear. The second perspective treats gender not only as a property that individuals bring with them to the workplace, but also as an institutionalized characteristic of theworkplace, of occupations, and of occupational environments, as embedded in formally defined rules, roles and responsibilities. Consequently, gender influences are not easily eliminated. The dependent variable was the extent to which men and women diAer in their concerns regarding their roles as directors. The independent variables included human, social capital and organizational context variables, and gender. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from a representative sample of directors (98 women and 127 men). The findings lend partial support for a view of gender as a social institution and directors as a gendered occupation. Copyright #1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Internet Connectivity, Community Participation, and Place Attachment: A Longitudinal Study:

The effect of Internet connectivity on social involvement, civic participation, and community sentiments has recently received research attention. Mostly, previous studies have been limited in that they did not account for the mechanism that might link Internet connectivity and community participation.This study uses a longitudinal design to examine the effects of Internet connectivity and participation in a local electronic bulletin board on local community involvement and participation. It is hypothesized that Internet connectivity affects community involvement and positive sentiments attached to the locale. Data from a longitudinal survey of two suburban communities in Israel are used to test the hypothesis. The results show that Internet connectivity and attitudes toward technology provide more channels for local civic participation. But, it is the active participation in locally based electronic forums over and above other forms of social capital (such as face-to-face neighborhood meetings, talking with friends, and membership in local organizations) that is associated with multiple measures of community participation. The formation and active participation in local community electronic networks not only adds but also amplifies civic participation and elevated sense of community attachment.

Ethnic Differences in Internet Access: The Role of Occupation and Exposure

Internet adoption has expanded rapidly in recent years and its use is been associated with the formation of social networks, the accumulation of social capital and a wage premium. Thus, lack of Internet access might reflect and even enlarge existing social inequalities. Considering the need for a better understanding of Internet inaccessibility, we investigated differences in access in relation to ethnicity. Presumably, in deeply divided societies, with a partial but significant overlap between ethnicity and the occupational structure, disadvantaged minorities lack digital access as they are concentrated in occupations that are not exposed to computers and the Internet. The hypotheses were tested with a representative sample of the Israeli population, a society deeply divided according to ethnic lines. Israeli Arabs proved less likely to have access to the Internet because they are concentrated in blue-collar occupations that do not involve work with computers and the Internet. Lack of exposure foments the development of negative attitudes to technology, which presumably deter them from adopting the Internet.

Instant messaging social networks: Individual, relational, and cultural characteristics

Most research on social media tends to focus on individual or group-level characteristics, neglecting to consider the influence of relational and cultural variables. To fill this void, we collected social network data in Israel (N = 492) and Canada (N = 293) to investigate the effect of individual, relational, and cultural variables on the frequency of communication via instant messaging (IM) and the multiplexity of communication topics. We found that geographic distance continues to matter in interpersonal contact in spite of heavy reliance on digital tools for connectivity. Similar patterns of association were discerned in both countries for propinquity, the use of IM, and closeness. We discuss the findings in terms of theories of networked individualism.

THE INFLUENCE OF COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS ON POLICE PERFORMANCE IN A DEEPLY DIVIDED SOCIETY: THE CASE OF ISRAEL*

Abstract This study investigates the effects of community characteristics on police performance in a deeply divided society. Conflict theories argue that crime control rises as minority size increases. In communities in which minorities become visible, the clearance rate will be higher. However, when minorities are highly segregated, segregation becomes an instrument of social control and the clearance rate will be lower. Functionalist theories argue that the police are reactive to the seriousness of offenses. Therefore, when community characteristics are controlled, clearance rates will be related to the community rate of property and violent crime. In this paper both theories are tested in the context of a highly segregated residential society. Using a sample of 118 Israeli Arab and Jewish communities, differences in clearance rates between the two types of communities were studied. It was found that those community characteristics affecting police performance are similar in Jewish and Arab communities....