The Ties That Bond: Re-Examining the Relationship between Facebook Use and Bonding Social Capital

Research has established a positive relationship between measures of Facebook use and perceptions of social capital. Like other social network sites, Facebook is especially well-positioned to enhance users´ bridging social capital because it lowers coordination costs associated with maintaining a large, potentially diverse network of Friends. The relationship between Facebook use and perceived bonding social capital, however, is not as clear. Previous studies have found a positive relationship between Facebook Intensity (FBI) and a measure of bonding social capital that focuses on benefits accrued locally, i.e., within a university context. This study looks at the relationship between Facebook use, offline behaviors, and social provisions, a broad-based measure of social support that taps into a dimension of bonding. Findings suggest that while FBI no longer predicts bonding, specific behaviors on Facebook are positively linked to perceptions of three social provisions related to one´s closest friends and family.