Uses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital: A comparison of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.041

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 72, July 2017, Pages 115-122

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.041 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Uses and gratification theory (UGT) was applied to explain social networking site usage.
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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat influence bridging/bonding social capital.
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SNS intensity, tie strength, privacy, introversion, and social comparison are moderators.

Abstract

Applying uses and gratifications theory (UGT) and social capital theory, our study examined users of four social networking sites (SNSs) (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat), and their influence on online bridging and bonding social capital. Results (N = 297) found that Twitter users had the highest bridging social capital, followed by Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, while Snapchat users had the highest bonding social capital, followed by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. SNS intensity, trust, tie strength, homophily, privacy concerns, introversion, and attention to social comparison were also found to moderate the relationship between SNS use and online bridging and bonding social capital.

Introduction

Social networking sites (SNSs) are web-based platforms on which members can create personal profiles, articulate friendship connections, and socially interact with the friend connections by uploading, liking, and commenting on content such as photos, messages, and videos shared on newsfeeds (Ellison et al., 2014). A 2015 Pew Internet Research Center found that among American online adults, 72% use Facebook, 31% use Pinterest, 28% use Instagram, 25% use LinkedIn, and 23% use Twitter, with the majority accessing SNSs using their mobile devices (Duggan, 2015). Recent research has also found that the majority of SNS users integrate two or more platforms in their daily activities (Davenport et al., 2014, Quan-Haase and Young, 2010), deriving benefits from their SNS use, including receiving health support (Phua, 2013), engaging in civic and political participation (Hyun & Kim, 2015), and increasing social capital (Barker et al., 2015, Phua and Jin, 2011). Applying uses and gratifications theory (UGT) and social capital theory, this study examined frequent users of four major SNS platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat), bridging and bonding social capital derived from each SNS, and the influence of several moderating variables (intensity of SNS use, SNS trust, tie strength, homophily, SNS privacy concerns, introversion, and attention to social comparison) on the relationship between frequent use of each SNS and bridging and bonding social capital.

Section snippets

Uses and gratifications theory (UGT)

Uses and gratifications theory (UGT) (Katz, Blumer, & Gurevitch, 1974) is a framework that explains how and why people actively seek out specific types of media. According to UGT, people receive gratifications through the media, which satisfy their informational, social, and leisure needs. Key assumptions of the UGT framework are: audiences are goal-directed in their media selection and actively interpret and integrate media messages within their everyday lives, so as to achieve optimal levels

Participants

College students (N = 305) enrolled at a major university in the United States participated in the study for extra credit. A total of 252 (82.6%) were female, and 53 (17.4%) were male. For ethnicity, 229 (75.1%) identified as White, 28 (9.2%) African-American, 28 (9.2%) Asian, 10 (3.3%) Latino/Hispanic, 5 (1.6%) Mixed, and 5 (1.6%) Other Ethnicity. For year in school, 23 (7.5%) were freshmen, 92 (30.2%) were sophomores, 116 (38.0%) were juniors, 71 (23.3%) were seniors, and 3 (1.0%) were

SNS use

For SNS most frequently used, 116 (38.0%) answered Instagram, 93 (30.5%) answered Facebook, 60 (19.7%) answered Twitter, 28 (9.2%) answered Snapchat, 6 (2.0%) answered Tumblr, 1 (0.4%) answered Pinterest, and 1 (0.4%) answered Google+. For main device for logging in to the SNS, 241 (79.0%) used smartphones, 55 (18.0%) used laptops, 5 (1.6%) used desktops, and 4 (1.3%) used tablets. Mean time as a member of the SNS most frequently used was 52 months (SD = 24.9); mean time per week spent using

Discussion

Results of this study indicate that frequent users of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, derived significantly different levels of bridging and bonding social capital from their SNS use. Twitter users reported the highest bridging social capital (H1a), followed by Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. This may be attributed to Twitter being a micro-blogging platform, whereby users can follow other individuals with whom they do not have a real-life relationship, such as celebrities,

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Full length articleUses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital: A comparison of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Uses and gratifications theory (UGT)

Participants

SNS use

Discussion

Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior

Journal of Consumer Psychology

Journal of Retailing

Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior

Social capital: Prospects for a new concept

Academy of Management Review

Harnessing peer potency: Predicting positive outcomes from social capital affinity and online engagement with participatory websites

New Media & Society

An invitation to reflexive sociology

Social networking sites: Their users and social implications-A longitudinal study

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

The social capital of opinion leaders

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Materialism and social comparison among adolescents

Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal

Roles of smartphone app use in improving social capital and reducing social isolation

Cyber Psychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites

International Journal of Advertising

Social capital in the creation of human capital

American Journal of Sociology

Mobile messaging and social media 2015

The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Cultivating social resources on social network sites: Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors and their role in social capital processes

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Social media use for news and individuals' social capital, civic engagement and political participation

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Core networks, social isolation, and new media: How Internet and mobile phone use is related to network size and diversity

Information, Communication & Society

Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach

Evolving mobile media: Uses and conceptualizations of the mobile Internet

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Full length article
Uses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital: A comparison of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat