Facebook Use and Social Capital – A Longitudinal Study

Petter Bae Brandtzæg, Oded Nov

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

How does the use of social networking sites (SNSs) affect social capital offline and online? The increasing popularity of SNSs such as Facebook (FB) implies a significant change in the way we interact with others. In an extensive longitudinal study (N = 311), carried out in Norway between 2008 - 2010, we examined the relationship between FB use and social capital, with a focus on interpersonal interaction, including face-to-face (F2F) interaction. Our findings suggest that overall FB use does not significantly affect offline capital, despite a significant increase in the use of FB from 2008 to 2010, after controlling for age, gender and education. However, different types of communication strategies on FB correlate with various kinds of F2F interaction. Importantly, FB users who focus on FB communication with their close friends, also interact more frequently with their close friends F2F, compared to those using FB to communicate with "online strangers”. The results also indicate that FB has become an important tool for keeping in touch with family members and existing friends rather than forming new connections.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 5th International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, ICWSM 2011
PublisherAAAI press
Pages454-457
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781577355052
StatePublished - Jul 17 2011
Event5th International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, ICWSM 2011 - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Jul 17 2011Jul 21 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 5th International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, ICWSM 2011

Conference

Conference5th International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, ICWSM 2011
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period7/17/117/21/11

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Computer Networks and Communications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Facebook Use and Social Capital – A Longitudinal Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this