Building social capital with Facebook: Type of network, availability of other media, and social self-efficacy matter
Building social capital with Facebook: Type of network, availability of other media, and social self-efficacy matter
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.05.013
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发表时间：
2019-10-01
影响因子：
5.4
通讯作者：
Lei, Yu
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kahai, Surinder S.;Lei, Yu
关于Facebook对人际关系的影响的研究结果好坏参半，可能是因为缺乏模型来承认不同用户、不同类型的朋友以及不同竞争媒体的使用差异。为了解决这个问题，我们提出并测试了Facebook和传统媒体如何在两个不同的网络中影响社会资本的桥梁和纽带：高中朋友的核心网络和大学第一学期的朋友网络。Facebook被期望在第一个网络中弥补传统媒体的影响，而社会自我效能感在后一个网络中被期望与媒体使用相互作用。研究结果为我们的模型提供了合理的支持。在高中朋友的网络中，Facebook促进了社会资本的结合，传统媒体既促进了社会资本的桥梁作用，也促进了社会资本的结合。Facebook还促进了桥接社会资本，但只有在它取代传统媒体的情况下才会如此；否则，它就会损害桥接社会资本。在大学朋友网络中，Facebook促进了社会资本的桥梁和纽带，并且随着用户的社会自我效能感的降低，社会资本的纽带作用增强。传统媒体也在这个网络中促进了社会资本的结合，但随着用户的社会自我效能感的降低，这种影响会减弱。传统媒体也促进了搭桥社会资本，但只针对那些社会自我效能感较高的用户；对于社交自我效能感较低的用户，它可能会损害搭桥社会资本。我们的研究结果表明，与其问Facebook是否能建立人际关系和社会资本，研究人员应该把重点放在找出它能建立关系和社会资本的条件上。关心学生适应大学生活的大学官员可以利用这些结果为学生提供适当的媒体建议，指导他们如何在高中和大学的朋友网络中保持和发展社会资本。
Findings about Facebook's effect on relationships are mixed, possibly due to lack of models that acknowledge differences across users, types of their friends, and use of competing media. To address this, we proposed and tested how Facebook and traditional media influence bridging and bonding social capital in two different networks: core network of high school friends and network of first-semester college friends. Facebook was expected to compensate for traditional media in the first network while social self-efficacy was expected to interact with media use in the latter. Results provide reasonable support for our models. In the network of high school friends, Facebook promotes bonding social capital and traditional media promotes both bridging and bonding social capital. Facebook also promotes bridging social capital but only when it substitutes for traditional media; it harms bridging social capital otherwise. In the network of college friends, Facebook promotes both bridging and bonding social capital and the effect on bonding social capital strengthens with decreasing social self-efficacy of the user. Traditional media too promotes bonding social capital in this network but this effect weakens with decreasing social self-efficacy of the user. Traditional media promotes bridging social capital as well but only for those with high social self-efficacy; it may harm bridging social capital for users with low social self-efficacy. Our results suggest that instead of asking whether Facebook builds relationships and social capital, researchers should focus on finding the conditions in which it does. University officials concerned with students' adjustment to university life can employ these results to suggest appropriate media when they counsel students about how to maintain and develop social capital in their networks of high school and college friends.