The Internet has prompted young adults to become much more politically active, but the technology has not succeeded in getting other historically inactive groups involved in civic activism, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

The report shows that, despite the high hopes of Internet advocates, digital tools such as social networks and blogs have not changed the basic socio-economic character of the country’s civic engagement.

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“This online participatory group that posts on social networking sites and writes things on their own Web sites are also extremely active in other areas,” said Aaron Smith, lead author of the report. “It’s not the case that what happens online stays online. They’re donating money at much higher rates than other groups, which is indicative that these new tools are not totally separate from other types of involvement.”

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