Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Marguerite Cronk
They believe that social capital exists between individuals and can be studied at <strong>the</strong> individual level.
Social capital is said to reside in <strong>the</strong> relations (links) among <strong>the</strong> nodes (individuals) <strong>of</strong> a network and
‘just as physical and human capital facilitate productive activity, social capital does as well’ (Coleman,
1988, p 101). Social capital is said to exist between individuals and by extension can be accumulated
by <strong>the</strong> individuals. Such a view <strong>of</strong> social capital rests on <strong>the</strong> premise that ‘my connections can help
me’ (Cross and Cummings, 2004) and is all about establishing relationships purposefully and
employing <strong>the</strong>m to generate intangible and tangible benefits in short or long terms. Hence it is
suggested that <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> individual connections may provide insight into <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
social network and resulting social capital.
In a virtual setting, social capital is said to be a common social resource that facilitates information
exchange, knowledge sharing, and knowledge construction through continuous interaction, built on
trust and maintained through shared understanding (Daniel, Schwier & McCalls, 2003). It is assumed
this refers more to <strong>the</strong> bonding social capital as bonding has more to do with trust (Nahapiet and
Ghoshal (1998). Huysman and Wulf (2005), propose that <strong>the</strong> higher <strong>the</strong> level <strong>of</strong> social capital, <strong>the</strong>
more members are stimulated to connect and share knowledge. This sharing aspect challenges
individuals to draw upon and provide value for <strong>the</strong>mselves and <strong>the</strong> community, with obvious benefits
to both parties. This notion is in a way a demonstration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> purposeful establishment <strong>of</strong>
relationships for mutual benefit suggested by Cummings and Cross (2004) above.
As defined above, bonding social capital is associated with strong ties. It refers to <strong>the</strong> kinds <strong>of</strong> support
that originates in close knit relations such as intimate friends and family (Putnam, 2000). Bonding
social capital in an organizational implies that <strong>the</strong>re is trust and a sense <strong>of</strong> obligation that encourages
reciprocity (Steinfield et. al, 2009). Social networking site studies have reported <strong>the</strong> usage <strong>of</strong> such
sites association with increased bonding capital, for example, directed communication between
friends. This may take <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> wall posts between friends intended for and consumed by a close
friend (Burke et al 2010). It is suggested that <strong>the</strong> greater <strong>the</strong> degree <strong>of</strong> sharing, <strong>the</strong> greater <strong>the</strong> degree
<strong>of</strong> bonding social capital within <strong>the</strong> network. In addition to streng<strong>the</strong>ning already strong bonds, web
based social networking streng<strong>the</strong>ns weak ties as more is shared with those more distant (emotionally
socially or geographically). For example, a connection may be made with an acquaintance from <strong>the</strong>
distant past, country, or a friend <strong>of</strong> a friend. At <strong>the</strong> point <strong>the</strong> connection is made <strong>the</strong> tie is weak and
little is known <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ‘friend’. After <strong>the</strong> newly connected friend shared <strong>the</strong>ir thoughts, photos and
experiences, a stronger understanding and emotional connection is made transforming this
connection from a weak tie to stronger or possibly from bridging to bonding capital.
Both bridging and linking capital are said to be associated with notions <strong>of</strong> ‘getting ahead’ creating
opportunities and <strong>the</strong> ability to leverage resources. Studies <strong>of</strong> social networking sites list
advancement <strong>of</strong> career, support for campaigns or projects, and expectations from an extended
network. (DiMicco, 2008; Morris et al,2010)
Ellison et al (2007), investigated <strong>the</strong> linkages between Facebook usage and various types <strong>of</strong> social
capital and found a positive relationship between certain kinds <strong>of</strong> Facebook use and <strong>the</strong> maintenance
and creation <strong>of</strong> social capital including bridging (between communities) and to a lesser extent bonding
social capital (among individuals within a community). Recently, researchers have emphasized <strong>the</strong>
importance <strong>of</strong> Internet-based linkages for <strong>the</strong> formation <strong>of</strong> weak ties (temporary and contingent),
which serve as <strong>the</strong> foundation <strong>of</strong> bridging social capital and suggest that it is possible that new forms
<strong>of</strong> social capital and relationship building such as bridging social capital will occur in online social
network sites (Ellison et al., 2007).
In summary it can be said that participation in web2 social networking, increases social capital.(see
figure 1.)
SNS
Social capital
Figure 1: Relationship between Web 2 Social Networking and Social Capital.
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