Impact of Social Media Engagement on Perceptions of Social Capital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/jas.1850Keywords:
Social Media Engagement, Perceptions, Social Capital, Online Interactions, Community Cohesion, Digital Technologies, Authenticity, Trust, Regulation, Digital LiteracyAbstract
Purpose: The general objective of the study was to explore the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital.
Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive's time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital. Preliminary empirical review revealed that active participation on social media platforms positively influenced individuals' sense of trust, reciprocity, and belonging. However, the depth of online relationships varied, with some interactions fostering meaningful connections while others remained superficial. Individual factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and cultural background influenced the relationship between social media engagement and social capital perceptions. The study highlighted the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop tailored interventions for maximizing the positive effects of social media on social capital perceptions.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Capital theory, Uses and Gratification theory and Social Identity theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of social media engagement on perceptions of social capital. The study provided valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy. It enhanced theoretical frameworks by elucidating the mechanisms through which social media engagement influences perceptions of social capital. Practical implications were identified, emphasizing the importance of strategic content creation and authentic engagement for individuals and organizations. Policy recommendations highlighted the need for regulations promoting digital literacy and online safety to foster a healthy online environment conducive to social capital formation. Future research avenues were also suggested, including longitudinal studies and comparative analyses across demographic groups and cultural contexts. Overall, the study's findings offered insights that could inform strategies for enhancing social capital in the digital age.
Downloads
References
Acquah-Sam, E. (2018). African social capital in the twenty-first century: Trends, challenges, and prospects. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 9(2), 163-180. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-10-2016-0198
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood Press.
Bucher, T., & Helmond, A. (2018). The affordances of social media platforms. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media (pp. 233-253). SAGE Publications Ltd.
Cattell, V. (2017). Poor places, prosperous people: How the socially disadvantaged may influence their economic betterment. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 54(3), 328-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427816684320
Chen, Y., Fay, S., & Wang, Q. (2016). The role of marketing in social media: How online consumer reviews evolve. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 34, 88-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2016.01.003
Chen, Y., Wang, Q., & Xie, J. (2018). Online social interactions: A natural experiment on word of mouth versus observational learning. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(1), 38-55. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.16.0435
Choi, Y. K., & Rifon, N. J. (2012). Who is the celebrity in advertising? Understanding dimensions of celebrity images. Journal of Popular Culture, 45(1), 186-198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00914.x
Coombs, W. T. (2014). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. SAGE Publications.
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2017). The benefits of Facebook "friends": Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x
Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: The social virtues and the creation of prosperity. Free Press.
Gupta, S., & Pirsch, J. (2014). Social media strategies: Understanding the differences between North American and European companies. Journal of International Marketing, 22(1), 22-59. https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.13.0019
Hajli, N. (2014). A study of the impact of social media on consumers. International Journal of Market Research, 56(3), 387-404. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJMR-2014-025
Halpern, D. (2018). Social capital. Polity Press.
Hanna, R., Rohm, A., & Crittenden, V. L. (2011). We're all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem. Business Horizons, 54(3), 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.007
Henderson, R., Shankar, V., & Talukdar, D. (2013). Leveraging "big data" to enhance consumer experience. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(3), 443-464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-013-0320-6
Hsu, C. L., & Lin, J. C. C. (2015). What drives purchase intention in social commerce? The effects of social support and relationship quality. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 16(2), 69-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2012.712490
Huang, Z., & Benyoucef, M. (2013). From e-commerce to social commerce: A close look at design features. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 12(4), 246-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2013.01.004
Ishida, H., & Stilwell, B. (2014). Social capital in Japan: Explaining cross-prefectural variations. Social Science Japan Journal, 17(2), 205-225. https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyt038
Ito, K., & Kawachi, I. (2013). Can urban regeneration policy reverse declining social capital? A longitudinal study of communities in Kobe, Japan. Social Science & Medicine, 78, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.11.031
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109
Kietzmann, J. H., & Canhoto, A. I. (2013). Bittersweet! Understanding and managing electronic word of mouth. Journal of Public Affairs, 13(2), 146-159. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1471
Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(3), 241-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005
Kim, A. J., & Lee, J. E. (2013). The Facebook paths to happiness: Effects of the number of Facebook friends and self-presentation on subjective well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(8), 581-586. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0521
Kim, J., Lee, J. E., & Rho, M. J. (2016). Predictors of online health information seeking among Korean adults. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 49(3), 156-163. https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.15.076
Kucuk, S. U. (2013). User engagement with brands on social networks. Business & Society, 52(2), 420-450. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650313480759
Lin, J., Peng, W., Kim, M., Kim, S. Y., & LaRose, R. (2012). Social networking and adjustments among international students. New Media & Society, 14(3), 421-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444811425786
Liu, B. F., Austin, L. L., & Jin, Y. (2019). How publics respond to crisis communication strategies: The interplay of information form and source. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101805
Muntinga, D. G., Moorman, M., & Smit, E. G. (2011). Introducing COBRAs: Exploring motivations for brand-related social media use. International Journal of Advertising, 30(1), 13-46. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-30-1-013-046
Oliveira, J. L., & Ribeiro, H. (2016). Income inequality, social capital, and public policy: A Brazilian case study. Revista de Administração Pública, 50(2), 227-247. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-76121549
Onyx, J., & Bullen, P. (2016). Sources of social capital. In The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations (pp. 155-174). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-26317-9_8
Pew Research Center. (2019). Trust and distrust in America. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/trust-and-distrust-in-america/
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon and Schuster.
Safko, L. (2012). The social media bible: Tactics, tools, and strategies for business success. John Wiley & Sons.
Smith, A. N., & Alexander, J. (2019). Social media marketing: Theories and applications. Routledge.
Smith, A. N., & Zook, Z. (2016). Marketing communications using digital media channels. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2014.935919
Souza, J. P. (2017). Social capital, public safety and urban violence. Sociologia & Antropologia, 7(2), 403-428. https://doi.org/10.1590/2238-38752017v725
Statista. (2021). Number of social media users worldwide from 2010 to 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-47). Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Tandoc, E. C., Lim, Z. W., & Ling, R. (2018). Defining "fake news". Digital Journalism, 6(2), 137-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1360143
Tang, J., Jin, R., & Li, Z. (2014). Understanding user migration patterns in social media. ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data (TKDD), 8(2), 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1145/2594473
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2018). Social media marketing. SAGE Publications.
Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2019). Is there social capital in a social network site? Facebook use and college students' life satisfaction, trust, and participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 875-901. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.x
Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Steinfield, C. (2011). The ties that bond: Re-examining the relationship between Facebook use and bonding social capital. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2011, 751-760. https://doi.org/10.1145/1978942.1979053
Wang, Y., & Kim, S. H. (2017). The role of social media memes in marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 51(3), 487-509. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-07-2015-0444
Wang, Y., Xiang, L., & Zheng, X. (2016). Examining the role of customer engagement in online brand communities. Internet Research, 26(4), 1004-1023. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-03-2015-0069
Xie, B., Watkins, I., Golbeck, J., & Huang, M. (2012). Understanding and changing older adults' perceptions and learning of social media. Educational Gerontology, 38(4), 282-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2010.515745
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Charles Smith
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
