Cite this post as:
Mike Lauria. The Ties that Bind: Social Capital and the Psychology of FOAM by Mike Lauria. EMCrit Blog. Published on July 27, 2017. Accessed on February 4th 2023. Available at [https://emcrit.org/emcrit/ties-bind-social-capital-psychology-foam-mike-lauria/ ].
Financial Disclosures:
Dr. Scott Weingart, Course Director, reports no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
This episode’s speaker(s), (listed above), report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
CME Review
Original Release: July 27, 2017
Date of Most Recent Review: Jan 1, 2022
Termination Date: Jan 1, 2025
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Thorough, well researched and insightful post Mike. An interesting analysis of why so many of us have found FOAM to be so refreshing, and a boost to our professional lives.
Thanks, David. Much appreciated.
This is what I really like about EMcrit. Not just critical stuff but also great posts on training, performance, behaviour and now on social capital. A refreshing post with connections to ordinary life as well. I can only imagine how much time you’ve put into this Mike. Thanks for the effort!
It was a while in the making…a lot of reading and research. But, it was really a pleasure to write. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope it gives people a fresh perspective on our FOAM community.
Michael, thanks for this wonderful review. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the FOAM community provides much more than knowledge. The connections, the social interactions, the friends are inspiring and invigorating. Thank you for opening my eyes to another interpretation of social capital. As an anthropologist I am more familiar with the term as presented by Pierre Bourdieu, a French philosopher, sociologist and anthropologist. He uses the term quite differently than you describe but in a framework that is still useful for those considering there positioning in the world. For interest’s sake, I’ll explain Bourdieu’s take on the concept and… Read more »
Thanks for the comment, Eve. It’s interesting to hear Bourdieu’s take on social capital. His perspectives regarding power in a community are really unique. You also bring up a good point regarding capitalizing on the ‘power’ of the FOAM community. I think there are some very excellent examples of how the FOAM community has used their voice to at least contribute to the development of healthcare. Take, for instance, the tsunami of FOAM support of the development of an air ambulance in Northern Ireland following the death of our friend John Hinds. Another example would be the EZ Drug ID… Read more »
If ‘Likes’ are a measure of social capital, are the number and quality of blog responses for each site a reflection of the intellectual capital?
Hey Derek,
That’s very interesting point you bring up. I suppose it could be. It seems reasonable that if a post generates a substantial amount of high-quality conversation around a particular topic, then it might engender the development and accumulation of intellectual capital.
I would have to get into the literature to really evaluate it though. Perhaps I’ll add that to the list of future posts.
-Mike
Great article Mike. Looking forward to part 2.
Thanks for reading, Stuart. I’m in the middle of the research now and will start writing it soon. I hope it provides some additional entertainment and insight.