Make Communities Great Again?

In the textbook, Networked:  The New Social Operating System, the focus of Chapter 5, "Network Relations", centers around the debate regarding the internet's impact on traditional community structures and social relationships.  I found it interesting that this is not a new debate as the ntext pointed out that every epoch has experienced these same anxieties that are normally commensurate with the advent of the era's newest innovations. 

Our traditional community structures were built around connections and relationships driven by proximity, family and daily in-person interactions within the community.  Relationships were strongly tied to physical places such as neighborhoods, churches, workplaces, or extended families.  In many ways, a person's identity was shaped largely by the group to which they belonged.  The text describes this as "door-to-door" style of community.

The text also asserts that networked individualism represents a shift away from this model.  Instead of being connected primarily through one group, individuals now operate through multiple overlapping personal networks.  Modern technology such as smartphones, social media platforms, messaging, and email facilitate this 'network multi-tasking'.  The result is the individual, rather than the neighborhood or household, has become the center of social organization.  

To me the most intriguing assertion based on the cited data is that the increase in quantity of relationships brought on by this social shift doesn't necessarily result in a decrease in quality.  To the contrary, it the reading argues that this technology seems to supplement and intensify human connection more than it replaces it.