Predicting social capital on Facebook: The implications of use intensity, perceived content desirability, and Facebook-enabled communication practices

New media researchers have shown that Facebook use and norms of online communicative behaviors can affect people's social network formation and self-perceived social capital. Presumably, individual users vary in perceiving Facebook content posted by others, which may influence the number of wor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers in human behavior 2017-07, Vol.72, p.259-268
Main Authors: Su, Chris Chao, Chan, Ngai Keung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bonding
Bridging
Facebook intensity
Facebook-enabled communication practices
Information sharing
Network formation
Norms
Perceived content desirability
Social capital
Social networks
Studies
University students
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Summary:New media researchers have shown that Facebook use and norms of online communicative behaviors can affect people's social network formation and self-perceived social capital. Presumably, individual users vary in perceiving Facebook content posted by others, which may influence the number of working communication features enabled by Facebook. This study thus examines whether perceived content desirability and Facebook-enabled communication practices matter for furthering social capital via Facebook. Specifically, this article examines certain types of Facebook content, including information sharing, self-presentation, and opinion expression. It contends that the three kinds of contents have varying impact on Facebook-specific bridging and bonding social capital through Facebook-enabled communication practices. Analysis of a survey of university students in Hong Kong (N = 406) shows that respondents perceiving high desirability of Facebook contents tend to more actively use Facebook-enabled communicative features than those who do not. The use of technical features, in turn, affects bridging and bonding social capital via Facebook. The analysis thus demonstrates how perceived content desirability can indirectly impact individual-level online social capital. •Perceived desirability of Facebook content influence the usage of Facebook communicative features.•Content desirability of opinion expression negatively relates to bridging social capital on Facebook.•Facebook affords communicative possibilities for enhancing online social capitals.•Benefits of online social capital may vary due to different maintenance strategies.•Users respond to distinctive content on Facebook differently in which affect their online social capitals.
ISSN:0747-5632
1873-7692
DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.058