MIS- "Bowling Alone" by Putnam

"On the contrary, American history carefully examined is a story of ups and downs in civic engagement, not just downs-a story of collapse and renewal. As I have already hinted in the opening pages of this book, within living memory the bonds of community in America were becoming stronger, not weaker, and as I shall argue in the concluding pages, it is within our power to reverse the decline of the last several decades."

I chose this as my MIS for many reasons. It really caught my attention when Putnam says civic engagement goes through cycles of collapse and renewal. I think community bonds are strengthening as we look to the future. I think that our idea of community is no longer confined to living in close proximity with one another. With programs such as Myspace and Facebook, we can become part of a national or global community. Being part of a global community has so many benefits because you can truly see how despite all the differences people have culturally, people across the globe can still find some common ground.