The computer-mediated communication network: exploring the linkage between the online community and social capital

Abstract

This research investigates various factors of social capital, media use and demographics that may have an influence on online community use. Although some have argued that internet use may erode an individual’s social capital, this study found that people who access the internet for online community use tend to have more sociability and higher levels of generalized norm than do online community non-users.When important socio-psychological factors of social capital, such as trust and life contentment, were considered, however, social capital was not fully related to online community use. In this regard, it is suggested that online communities may enhance the communication ability of individuals due to technological advantages, but face-to-face communication in the form of the traditional community is still essential to ensure the quality of community as a whole.