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Examining social capital on mobile SNS: the effect of social support

Tao Zhou (School of Management, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China)

Program: electronic library and information systems

ISSN: 0033-0337

Article publication date: 6 September 2016

711

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of social support on social capital in mobile social networking sites.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the 234 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modelling was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

The results indicated that social support, which includes informational support and emotional support, has a significant effect on social capital that consists of structural, relational and cognitive capital.

Originality/value

Although previous research has found the effect of social capital on user behaviour, it has seldom identified the determinants of social capital. Thus, how to build and develop social capital remains a question. This research examined the effect of social support on social capital.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71371004), NSFC-Zhejiang Joint Fund for the Integration of Industrialization and Informatization (U1509220), and the Research Center of Information Technology & Economic and Social Development in Zhejiang Province.

Citation

Zhou, T. (2016), "Examining social capital on mobile SNS: the effect of social support", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 367-379. https://doi.org/10.1108/PROG-12-2015-0080

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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