Research Student - HUANG Jing

I was a journalist at Hebei Daily in China. After that, I pursued my graduate study in the United States, and received a master degree in Software Engineering from University of St. Thomas. Then, I worked as a web designer and developer for Global Heritage Fund, which is a non-profit organization in Silicon Valley.

Empirical research in western societies has generated mixed findings on the relationship between Internet use and generalized trust. I argue that this is at least partially due to the fact that by forming various kinds of associations in communities, people in western societies have historically been communicating with others with similar interest but from different background. Internet provides just another regular forum where people can meet and exchange with others, and it has not fundamentally changed the general social interaction pattern of western communities. In contrast, Internet has for the first time in history taken Chinese out of their traditional social circles, the extended families, and has revolutionarily exposed Chinese people to others whom they would otherwise never meet in life. China has commonly been labeled by economists as a low-trust society. I hypothesize that in China, Internet use should enhance an individual’s level of generalized trust by extending his or her social circle beyond the extended families and related friends. I investigate my hypotheses in a middle-sized northern Chinese city.