The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between virtuality and social capital. Does virtuality decrease the strength of individuals’ social ties? Or does virtuality increase social capital by expanding the range of individuals’ social networks? To address these questions, first, we identify the properties of virtuality, whose definition still varies in a variety of research s...

We study the role of social capital in language acquisition during study abroad. Using data collected from 204 participants in Japanese study abroad programs, we show that students who leverage social capital through bridging relationships feel they achieve higher levels of language improvement. Furthermore, an analysis of the topics participants discuss with locals suggests that there are sign...

The aim of the present study was to find underlying factors of social capital acquisition in online gaming communities (guilds). 391 players of World of Warcraft were asked about their playing habits, their behavior towards fellow players and the bridging and bonding social capital they received by playing. Path analysis revealed five underlying factors of social capital formation in guilds. Ou...

Scholars investigating the relationship between the Internet and social capital have been stymied by a series of obstacles, some due to theoretical frameworks handed down unchanged from television research, and some due to the lack of an appropriate yardstick. For example, the social interactions that occur through television are prima facie different from those that occur online. Given this ba...

this article employs a combination of direct observation method, online survey and focus group discussion techniques in order to study how social capital takes shape among youth facebook users in iran.  this article, will also, attempt to answer the question of whether the social capital that takes its roots from interaction between facebook users and friends' circles, will also reflect on...

INTRODUCTION Recent research on health inequalities moves beyond illustrating the importance of psychosocial factors for health to a more in-depth study of the specific psychosocial pathways involved. Social capital is a concept that captures both a buffer function of the social environment on health, as well as potential negative effects arising from social inequality and exclusion. This syste...

How do social media facilitate adjustment to changes in social structure and culture? This research examines the impact of online social networking on online and offline social capitals and adjustment of international students in the United States. A survey of 195 international students in a major Midwestern university showed that students’ interactions with Americans and home country friends u...