The impact of Social Network Sites on social capital for older adults
Nicole O'Brien PhD*, Yufei Yuan PhD, Norman Archer PhD
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AbstractBackground: As we age, our social relationships tend to dissipate due to changing life circumstances. This reduction in social relations for older adults tends to negatively impact the quality of life, in the form of increased social isolation and loneliness.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to gain further understanding of how the different facets of using Social Network Sites (SNSs) can influence social relationships and the bonding and bridging social capital of older adults.
Method: A theoretical model and hypotheses were developed to reflect social relationships and a structural equation approach was utilized to test the model. This involved an online survey in Canada that collected data from 330 participants over the age of 65 that use SNSs.
Results: The empirical results suggest that how SNSs are used does impact whether social connections are enhanced or maintained. The active use of SNSs, along with the number and type of contacts, has a positive effect on social relationships. Yet, more intensive use of SNSs does not influence social relationships. In fact, the types of messages, either informational or private, that are exchanged differed in their impact on social relationships. Private message content positively affects close relationships and informational content positively affects weak social relationships.
Conclusion: The study found that certain components of SNSs use have a positive effect on older adult relationships. This study enriches and extends the literature pertaining to SNSs influence on social capital. It has created new facets of SNSs use, while also studying a combination of previously examined facets together to create more clarity on their influence on social capital.Keywords: Social Network Sites (SNSs), social capital, older adults
Nicole O'Brien PhD*, Yufei Yuan PhD, Norman Archer PhD (2021). The impact of Social Network Sites on social capital for older adults. Gerontechnology, 20(2), 1-11
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.22.08