Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C. and Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook ‘‘Friends:’’ Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168.
community and communication
過去的社會媒體研究常以使用者能夠藉由社會媒體拓展其人際關係，進而從線上發展為線下的人際關係。本論文則認為社會媒體將使線下的人際關係發展為線上的人際關係。作者分析大學生使用Facebook與形成或維繫其社會資本(social capital)之間的關連，並且也探討這些因素和自尊(self-esteem)與生活滿意度(life satisfaction)間的互動關係。過去的研究一般認為社會資本是指從人際關係累積的資源，其資源對個人或一個群體是由其所擁有的網路累積而成(Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992)。本研究引用Putnam (2000)以關係的親近與有無提供情感支持(emotional supoort)對於社會資本的區別，並且強調線上網路工具使個人在離開後仍然能夠接觸原先社會網路的功能，因此本研究將其研究對象的社會資本分為：1)橋接社會資本(bridging social capital)；2)黏著社會資本(bonding social capital)；3)維繫社會資本(maintained social capital)。本研究以線上問卷蒐集大學生的Facebook使用經驗與他們的社會資本，有回應的受訪者共計286位(佔全體的35.8%)，其中大多數(94%)的使用者都有使用Facebook的經驗。研究結果發現：Facebook使用於所涉及的人為有共同的線下關連(平均3.64)比結識新朋友(平均1.97)更多(t = 26.14, p , .0001)，因此可以說明Facebook多用於維繫現有的線下關係和鞏固暫時結識的友誼。處在低生活滿意度和低自尊的學生如果能夠更多地使用Facebook，能夠從此獲益於橋接社會資本。學生的黏著社會資本和維繫社會資本也能從他們使用Facebook的強度來預測。
This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social network site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital.
Regression analyses conducted on results from a survey of undergraduate students (N = 286) suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital.
In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.
Previous research suggests that Facebook users engage in ‘‘searching’’ for people with whom they have an offline connection more than they ‘‘browse’’ for complete strangers to meet (Lampe, Ellison, & Steinfield, 2006).
Social capital broadly refers to the resources accumulated through the relationships among people (Coleman, 1988).
Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992) define social capital as ‘‘the sum of the resources, actual or virtual, that accrue to an individual or a group by virtue of possessing a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition’’ (p. 14)
Social capital has been linked to a variety of positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more efficient financial markets (Adler & Kwon, 2002). ... Greater social capital increases commitment to a community and the ability to mobilize collective actions, among other benefits. Social capital may also be used for negative purposes, but in general social capital is seen as a positive effect of interaction among participants in a social network (Helliwell & Putnam, 2004).
Moreover, social capital researchers have found that various forms of social capital, including ties with friends and neighbors, are related to indices of psychological well-being, such as self esteem and satisfaction with life (Bargh & McKenna, 2004; Helliwell & Putnam, 2004).
Putnam (2000) distinguishes between bridging and bonding social capital. The former is linked to what network researchers refer to as ‘‘weak ties,’’ which are loose connections between individuals who may provide useful information or new perspectives for one another but typically not emotional support(Granovetter, 1982). Alternatively, bonding social capital is found between individuals in tightly-knit, emotionally close relationships, such as family and close friends.
This concept, ‘‘maintained social capital,’’ permits us to explore whether online network tools enable individuals to keep in touch with a social network after physically disconnecting from it.
Donath and boyd (2004) hypothesize that SNSs could greatly increase the weak ties one could form and maintain, because the technology is well-suited to maintaining such ties cheaply and easily.
... a 2006 Pew Internet survey reports that online users are more likely to have a larger network of close ties than non-Internet users, and that Internet users are more likely than non-users to receive help from core network members (Boase, Horrigan, Wellman, & Rainie, 2006).
Some forms of computer-mediated communication can lower barriers to interaction and encourage more self-disclosure (Bargh, McKenna, & Fitzsimons, 2002; Tidwell & Walther, 2002); hence, these tools may enable connections and interactions that would not otherwise occur.
Wellman et al. (2001), for example, find that heavy Internet users rely on email to maintain long distance relationships, rather than using it as a substitute for offline interactions with those living nearby.
A total of 286 students completed the online survey, yielding a response rate of 35.8% (see Table 1 for sample demographics).
According to Williams (2006), ‘‘members of weak-tie networks are thought to be outward looking and to include people from a broad range of backgrounds. The social capital created by these networks generates broader identities and generalized reciprocity’’ (n.p.).
From Table 3 we see that respondents also report significantly more Facebook use involving people with whom they share an offline connection— either an existing friend, a classmate, someone living near them, or someone they met socially (mean = 3.64)—than use involving meeting new people (mean = 1.97) (t = 26.14, p , .0001).
This suggests that students use Facebook primarily to maintain existing offline relationships or to solidify what would otherwise be ephemeral, temporary acquaintanceships. There was a slight tendency for newer students to use Facebook to meet new people more than for juniors and seniors to do so (see Figure 3), but across all four years in school, respondents reported greater use of Facebook for connecting with existing offline contacts.
The results suggest that Facebook is indeed implicated in students’ efforts to develop and maintain bridging social capital at college, although we cannot assess causal direction. ... Among the psychological measures, the extent of students’ satisfaction with life at MSU was strongly correlated with bridging social capital (scaled beta = .66, p <.0001).
Students reporting low satisfaction and low self-esteem appeared to gain in bridging social capital if they used Facebook more intensely, suggesting that the affordances of the SNS might be especially helpful for these students.
As shown in Table 7, bonding social capital was also significantly predicted by the intensity with which students used Facebook (scaled beta = .37, p < .001 in model 2).
Finally, entering only our control factors accounted for 13% of the variance in maintained social capital (Table 8). Adding Facebook intensity raised the R2 to .17 and revealed the same strong connection to Facebook intensity (scaled beta = .36, p <.001), even after controlling for the number of years at college (and thus, away from high school) and general Internet use.
Our findings suggest that certain kinds of Facebook use (articulated by our Facebook intensity items) can help students accumulate and maintain bridging social capital.
One explanation consistent with these interaction effects is that Facebook use may be helping to overcome barriers faced by students who have low satisfaction and low self-esteem. Because bridging social capital provides benefits such as increased information and opportunities, we suspect that participants who use Facebook in this way are able to get more out of their college experience.
However, Facebook appears to be much less useful for maintaining or creating bonding social capital, as indicated by the fact that the bonding model only accounted for 22% of the variance (versus 46% in the bridging social capital models).
Finally, Facebook intensity predicted increased levels of maintained social capital, which assessed the extent to which participants could rely on high school acquaintances to do small favors. For college students, many of whom have moved away for the first time, the ability to stay in touch with these high school acquaintances may illustrate most clearly the ‘‘strength of weak ties’’ outlined by Granovetter (1973, 1982). These potentially useful connections may be valuable sources of new information and resources.
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