Testing the validity of social capital measures in the study of information and communication technologies

Abstract

Social capital has been considered a cause and consequence of various uses of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, there is a growing divergence between how social capital is commonly measured in the study of ICTs and how it is measured in other fields. This departure raises questions about the validity of some of the most widely cited studies of social capital and ICTs. We compare the Internet Social Capital Scales (ISCS) developed by Williams [2006. On and off the ’net: scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 593–628. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.x] – a series of psychometric scales commonly used to measure ‘social capital’ – to established, structural measures of social capital: name, position, and resource generators. Based on a survey of 880 undergraduate students (the population to which the ISCS has been most frequently administered), we find that, unlike structural measures, the ISCS does not distinguish between the distinct constructs of bonding and bridging social capital. The ISCS does not have convergent validity with structural measures of bonding or bridging social capital; it does not measure the same concept as structural measures. The ISCS conflates social capital with the related constructs of social support and attachment. The ISCS does not measure perceived or actual social capital. These findings raise concerns about the interpretations of existing studies of ‘social capital’ and ICTs that are based on the ISCS. Given the absence of measurement validity, we urge those studying social capital to abandon the ISCS in favor of alternative approaches.

Keywords:

• social support
• belonging
• attachment
• social network
• Facebook
• social capital

Notes on contributors

Lora Appel is a doctoral candidate in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers where she also earned her Master's degree; she holds an International Bachelor of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Her research focuses on detrimental anonymity and how it manifests among hospital staff and patient populations, and identifying new ways to design systems to enhance social networks, improve communication, and increase efficiency in medical environments. [email: [email protected]]

Punit Dadlani is currently a doctoral student in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers. His main areas of research include social justice, human information behavior/practices, and the design of information environments. [email: [email protected]]

Maria Dwyer holds a Master's degree in Communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a doctoral student in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers. Her research focuses on social networks, participatory websites and social commerce. [email: [email protected]]

Keith N. Hampton is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Rutgers. He received his Ph.D. and MA in sociology from the University of Toronto and a BA in sociology from the University of Calgary. His research interests focus on the relationship between new information and communication technologies, social networks, and the urban environment. For additional papers, visit www.mysocialnetwork.net. [email: [email protected]]

Vanessa Kitzie is currently a doctoral student in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers. She has a Master's from Rutgers and a BA in Advertising and BS is Sociology from Boston University. Her research interests are studying the information behaviors of different social groups. [email: [email protected]]

Ziad A. Matni is currently a doctoral student in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers. [email: [email protected]]

Patricia Moore received her Master's in Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers and is currently a doctoral student in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue. [email: [email protected]]

Rannie Teodoro is a doctoral candidate in Communication and Information Studies at Rutgers. She studies individual- and community-level engagement, social support, and health/wellbeing across mediated contexts. Rannie has conducted work in partnership with the Homeland Security Center of Excellence, the Partnership for Drug-Free New Jersey, and several health institutions. http://rannieteodoro.com. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. Information is based on an analysis of citations from Google Scholar on 17 June 2013 and 23 December 2013.

2. As of 10 June 2013, information is based on an analysis of English language publications using Google Scholar.