The relationship of using the social networking site Facebook to the accumulation of social capital

Abstract

The subject of social capital is of great importance, as it provides an analytical framework for researchers interested in understanding the impact of the Internet on many dimensions of human and social life. And because social networking sites have infiltrated societies and produced new variables at the level of human and social communication, this study came to examine the relationship between the use of the social networking site Facebook and the accumulation of social capital among a sample of University of Algeria 3 students, by researching the variables of intensity of use and patterns of use as independent variables and their relationship to social capital. The results of the field study revealed a strong relationship between the intensity of Facebook use and social capital, the strongest of which was bridging capital. In addition, there is a strong relationship between active use and the accumulation of social capital. So the relationship between the use of Facebook and social capital varies according to the intensity of use of the site and patterns of use.