An Explanatory Analysis of Interactive Relations between Facebook and Bridging Social Capital

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Professor, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Payam Noor

3 PhD Student, Department of Sociology, University of Payam Noor

Abstract

This article employs a combination of direct observation method, online survey and Focus Group Discussion techniques in order to study how social capital takes shape among youth Facebook users in Iran.  This article, will also, attempt to answer the question of whether the social capital that takes its roots from interaction between Facebook users and friends' circles, will also reflect on the social relations of the users in the real world? Here, we are planning to combine Fukuyama's, Coleman's, Putnam's, Walther's and Hew's theories to offer a theoretical framework that can better explain the above question. We will then contrast this theoretical package against the empirical data in order to evaluate its explanatory capabilities. We will, then, apply a deductive mode of reasoning in order to test the hypothesis on socially usefulness of a social capital that is formed between Facebook users and friends' circles. Our data gathering technique include both online and offline surveys questionnaires that were distributed between 2010 samples in 2011. The paper claims that facebook has a structural capability to form Fukuyama's overlapping layers and Coleman's closure relations.  Formation of the mechanism of the layers gives rise to strengthening of weak ties and to expansion of social relations of the individuals. Here, we take bonding social capital to mean a type of social capital that strengthens already affectionate feelings. And, we take bridging social capital to mean a social capital that strengthens those social relations that are unstable and weak. We claim that; as the amount of Facebook-use increases among users the bridging social capital of the users will also increase. Our research results indicate that the above claim is also supported by experimental evidence. This means being a Facebook user strengthens unstable and weak relations.

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