Resumen
The Internet neither destroys nor creates social capital. Sometimes trust matters, sometimes it doesn't in the technology-mediated relationships. Trust is far from being irrelevant to the Internet. Going online does not make people either more or less trusting, though trust shapes how people interact with one another. People who trust are less likely to fear getting involved with strangers. Perhaps people who use the Internet a lot are hermits, but more likely they are sociable. From email, the most widely used online application, to chat rooms, to support groups, going online involves communicating with other people. But the Internet is not likely to create the kinds of communities that could generate trust. Trust develops between people of divergent backgrounds, whereas the Internet excels in bringing together people who already have something in common-family ties, friendship, working in the same office, political views, or needing the same kind of medical information or psychological support.