Abstract
Local store shopping is a catalyst for social interactions among neighbors. As same-day-delivery (SDD) online shopping replaces local store shopping, it may reshape this social process through various mechanisms. However, few studies empirically explore the changes in these interactions. Using household survey data in Nanjing, this paper employs a structural equations model to explore the relationships among SDD online shopping, local store shopping, and three types of social interactions among neighbors. SDD online shopping is negatively associated with greeting/chatting with neighbors, but has a positive association with social gathering. Although SDD online shopping is positively associated with companion shopping with neighbors, the association is weaker than that between local store shopping and companion shopping. Therefore, SDD online shopping transforms neighborhood social interactions by weakening weak ties and strengthening strong ties with neighbors, undermining community vitality and social cohesion. Policies and programs should be developed to sustain neighborhood social interactions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 103219 |
| Journal | Cities |
| Volume | 114 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41701178 ) and the National Social Science Fund of China (No. 20AZD040 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- E-shopping
- ICT
- Instant delivery
- Neighborhood cohesion
- Social activity