Network domains in social networking sites: expectations, meanings, and social capital

Abstract

This paper examines why the use of social networking sites (SNSs) leads to different results in cultivating bridging and bonding social capital for different groups of people. Based on in-depth interviews of 45 university students in Hong Kong, I find that Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong actively use SNSs for seeking practical information about offline matters, and they obtain substantial enacted support from other Mainland students of the same university through SNS use. As a result, they accumulate both bridging and bonding social capital. Local Hong Kong students, however, use SNSs mainly for social information seeking and are only able to accrue limited bridging social capital through SNS use. Drawing on the theory of network domains, I argue that the different offline network structures in which students are located – namely, homogeneous and closed networks versus heterogeneous and open networks – explain this difference. Students with closed offline networks have defined expectations of online ties; they think of their online activities as practical and leading to real changes in their status among peers. Those with open networks have indefinite expectations of their online audience; thus, they interpret online activities differently, thinking of them as recreational, and they are playful in their online behaviour. These different outcomes of online activities consequently lead to diverse results in social capital accrual.

Keywords:

• network structure
• domains of meanings
• social capital
• social networking sites
• online behaviour
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Xiaoli Tian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include how pre-existing knowledge paradigms and cultural norms influence the way people respond to unexpected transformations of their everyday routines. This interest is reflected in her two main lines of research: cross-cultural transmission of medical knowledge and online interaction. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. Before 2013, this institution, like most others in Hong Kong, operated on a three-year undergraduate curriculum.

2. Data are from internal ‘First Year Experience’ surveys (2008–2013) collected by the university student affairs office to learn about first-year student experiences.

3. Although many Mainland students also take advantage of the study abroad programmes, they tend to live on or around campus for a longer period of time, and interact less with high school friends or family members in offline life.

4. Political topics might be an exception, but people have different political opinions. Students realize that discussing political issues can in fact lead to more dissent instead of resonance.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research, The University of Hong Kong [grant number 201202159007].