Intensity of SNS Use as a Predictor of Online Social Capital and the Moderating Role of SNS Platforms: An Empirical Study Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling

Najmul Hoda, Naim Ahmad (), Amjad Aldweesh and Quadri Noorulhasan Naveed
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Najmul Hoda: Department of Business Administration, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
Naim Ahmad: Department of Information Systems, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Amjad Aldweesh: College of Computer Science and Information Technology, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11911, Saudi Arabia
Quadri Noorulhasan Naveed: Department of Computer Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: This study firstly aims to understand how social networking site usage results in online social capital formation, considering two different types of social networking sites (SNS)—LinkedIn and Facebook. It further aims to investigate if the process varies among different social networking sites or remains uniform. This study also validates two prominent scales, namely the Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS) and the Internet Social Capital Scale (ISCS). A structured questionnaire was administered through various social media platforms resulting in a total of 329 valid responses (167 LinkedIn users and 162 Facebook users). Applying the partial least squares method of structural equation modelling, it was found that social networking site use results in the formation of both online-bonding and online-bridging social capital for both types of SNS. Further, moderation analysis results show that the type of SNS platform does not affect the relationship between SNS intensity and online social capital. This implies that users’ social capitals are dependent on how they use an SNS. These findings have both practical and academic implications. They provide new insights into the usage, intensity, and online social capital that should be beneficial for commercial purposes. In terms of academic contribution, this research contributes to the scarce studies that have considered SNSs other than Facebook and also compared two SNSs. It further confirms the social capital theory in the field of online networking.

Keywords: online-bonding social capital; online-bridging social capital; social networking sites; Facebook; LinkedIn; moderation analysis; partial least squares structural modeling; Facebook Intensity Scale; Internet Social Capital Scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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