Social Capital on Social Network Sites
Research Paper
Problem
As Social Network Sites (SNS) permeate our daily routines, the question whether participation results in value for SNS users becomes particularly acute. This study adopts a 'participation-source-outcome' perspective to explore how distinct uses of SNS generate various types of social capital benefits.
Research Process
An in-depth qualitative analysis using grounded theory methodology was conducted on 8 participant observations followed by survey design and analysis of 253 collected responses.
Research Outcomes
Based on the qualitative findings we formulate a conceptual model of social capital formation on social network sites. The validation of this model in a survey with 253 users allows to confirm that even though active communication is an important prerequisite, it is the diversified network structure and the increased social connectedness that are responsible for the attainment of the four benefits of social capital on SNS: emotional support, networking value, horizon broadening and offline participation. The full paper can be found here.
The paper was published in the Proceedings of the Thirty Second International Conference on Information Systems, Shanghai 2011 and won the 2nd Runner up best paper award at the conference.
