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Will Facebook save or destroy social capital? An empirical investigation into the effect of online interactions on trust and networks
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften
Abstract Studies in the social capital literature have documented two stylised facts: first, a decline in measures
of social participation has occurred in many OECD countries. Second, and more recently, the success of
social networking sites (SNSs) has resulted in a steep rise in online social participatio... view more
Studies in the social capital literature have documented two stylised facts: first, a decline in measures
of social participation has occurred in many OECD countries. Second, and more recently, the success of
social networking sites (SNSs) has resulted in a steep rise in online social participation. Our study adds
to this body of research by conducting the first empirical assessment of how online networking affects
two economically relevant aspects of social capital, i.e. trust and sociability. We find that participation
in SNSs such as Facebook and Twitter has a positive effect on face-to-face interactions. However,
social trust decreases with online interactions. We argue that the rising practice of hate speech may
play a crucial role in the destruction of trust.... view less
Keywords
sociability; behavior; OECD member country; social network; interaction; social relations; social capital; digital divide; social participation; facebook; confidence
Classification
Interactive, electronic Media
Sociology of Communication, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics
Method
empirical
Document language
English
Publication Year
2014
City
Mannheim
Page/Pages
47 p.
Series
GESIS-Working Papers, 2014/30
ISSN
1869-0491
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications