Social engagement (also social involvement, social participation) refers to one's degree of participation in a community or society.

Definitions

The term "social engagement" is commonly used to refer to one's participation in the activities of a

social group In the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. F ...

. The term has also been defined as "the extent to which an individual participates in a broad range of social roles and relationships." and as "the commitment of a member to stay in the group and interact with other members". The term has not always been used consistently in literature, and can be sometimes confused with several other similar (but distinct) concepts from social sciences. Social engagement is different from the concept of a

social network A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

, as social network focuses on a group, rather than the activity. Social engagement also differs from

social capital Social capital is a concept used in sociology and economics to define networks of relationships which are productive towards advancing the goals of individuals and groups. It involves the effective functioning of social groups through interper ...

, with the latter defined as "resources available to individuals and groups through their social connections to communities".

Civic engagement Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to ...

is also different, as it refers to political activity, and to membership and volunteering in

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.

Characteristics

Social engagement can be evidenced by participation in collective activities, which reinforces

and

social norms A social norm is a shared standard of acceptance, acceptable behavior by a group. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into wikt:rule, rules and laws. Social norma ...

. Key elements of social engagement include activity (doing something), interaction (at least two people need to be involved in this activity), social exchange (the activity involves giving or receiving something from others), and lack of compulsion (there is no outside force forcing an individual to engage in the activity). For the most part, social engagement excludes activities for which one is getting paid, or family obligations. A common metric of social engagement is the quantifiable volume of activity. A traditional form of social engagement, such as church going, may be measured by the number of one's visits to the church. In the Internet setting, a metric of social engagement on a discussion board may take the form of the number of posts made. Wikipedia 20 birthday cake virtual party

Wikipedia 20 birthday cake virtual party

One of the main questions about social engagement explored by social scientists has been whether individuals are more or less engaged with various communities. Some studies have suggested that modern

information and communication technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and compute ...

have made it easier for individuals to become socially engaged in more distant or

virtual communities A virtual community is a social network of individuals who connect through specific social media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual commu ...

, and thus have decreased their involvement in local communities. Promotion of positive behavior in, and opportunities for, social engagement also serve as key goals in the field of positive youth development.

Health

High social engagement may improve happiness and health and well-being; however, context is important. High social engagement in deviant,

delinquent Delinquent may refer to: * Delinquent (royalist) In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees: the Sequestration Committee, which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and ...

activities such as membership in a

criminal organization In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

can be detrimental to one's health, as can be being too involved (having too many social roles), which can lead to stress due to conflicts between roles.

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

added a complication to social engagement which relies on face-to-face interactions to compliment social media engagement when it comes to . "Children are among the social groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because they have found themselves forced to stay at home, far from their schoolmates, their friends, and far from all the activities they used to do before the pandemic."

Social engagement and inclusion

Garden party for wounded men at the White House LCCN94508210

Poverty can greatly impact one's social participation. Engagement in social activities can be impacted by an individual's employment or the lack of it. Social inclusion is critical to ensure that the needs of disadvantaged social groups such as indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, older persons, youth, and women, are considered.

Socially engaged theater

Socially engaged theater is performance work that comments on or raises awareness about social issues around race, gender, disability, sexuality, and equality. The audience is invited to participate in aspects of the performance.

References