The analysis of social capital in online social communities

The Analysis of Social Capital in Online Social Communities Submitted to: School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Faculty of Business Queensland University of Technology Submitted by: Wei-Yi Chiu Research students Queensland University of Technology 27th September 2011 I Acknowledgements Time flies, and the life of researching seems to be a challengeable but impressive journey I had a great time since commencing my research I have not only absorbed and comprehended more in the particular area of knowledge but made friends with some wonderful people who helped and supported me to accomplish my thesis First of all, I would like to offer my gratitude to my two supervisors Dr Edwina Luck and Dr Shane Mathews Thank you for supporting and believing in me from beginning to end with your passion and dedication I also wish to thank you for always encouraging me to express my ideas into my thesis with constructive feedback and positive praise I am delighted with having a good relationship with these two supervisors They are not only my supervisors but also my good friends inasmuch as they let me have absolute liberty during the time and we would chat about everything like friends Secondly, I would like to acknowledge my lovely parents, Shaw-Kou Chiu and Pao-Chao Yu, and my three sisters, who are Wei-Fen Chiu, Wei-Hsuan Chiu, and Wei-Chih Chiu I appreciate them supporting and encouraging me spiritually and practically with their constant love and wisdom To satisfy my material requirements, Dad has been working very hard overseas, and thereby, Mom has been flying laboriously between two countries every two months in order to take care of us physically and psychologically Thank you for my three beautiful sisters who make my research life interesting and happy with their smiles and thoughtfulness Thirdly, I appreciate my editor Jane Todd She helped me to edit and proofread my thesis including correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, referencing with APA style and formatting She also helped me to find any expression in my thesis which may confuse the examiners or may be inconsistent with the context I would not have been able to submit a perfect and completed document without her I would like to thank my friends in the research office Thank you for providing considerable and useful information and generous friendships It is my fortune to have met all my excellent researching friends Finally, thank you Queensland University of Technology for providing a marvellous researching environment and also the staff at the Research Support Office, namely Jason McDonald, Kathryn H D OC J L I ed it I Abstract Social networks have proven to be an attractive avenue of investigation for researchers since humans are social creatures Numerous literature have explored and in diverse research fields With the popularity of the Internet, social networking has taken on a new dimension Online social communities therefore have become an emerging social avenue for pe information age People use online social communities to share their interests, maintain friendships, and extend their so-called circle of L also known as human capital, is an important theory in sociology Researchers usually utilise social capital theory when they investigate the topic relating to social networks However, there is little literature that can provide an explicit and strong assertion in that research area due to the complexity of social capital This thesis therefore focuses on the issue related to providing a better understanding about the relationship between social capital and online social communities To enhance the value within the scope of this analysis, an online survey was conducted to examine the effects of the dimensions of social capital: relational capital, structural capital, and cognitive capital, determining the intensity of using online social communities The data were derived from a total of 350 self-selected respondents completing an online survey during the research period The main results indicate that social capital exists in online social communities under normal circumstances Finally, this thesis also presents three contributions for both theory and practice in Chapter The main results contribute to the understanding of connectivity in the interrelationships between individual social capital exchange within online social networks Secondly, social trust was found to have a weak effect in influencing the intensity of individuals using online social communities Third, the perpetual role of information sharing has an indirect influence on individual users participating in online social communities This study also benefits online marketing consultants as marketers can not only gain consumer information easier from online social communities but also this understanding assists in designing effective communication within online social communities The cross-sectional study, the reliability of Internet survey data, and sampling issues are the major three limitations in this research The thesis provides a new research model and recommends that the mediating effects, privacy paradox, and social trust on online social communities should be further explored in future research II Certification of Thesis The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree or diploma at any other higher education institution To the best of my knowledge and belief, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made Wei-Yi Chiu 27 September 2011 III Table of Contents Page CHAPTER INTRODUCTION - - 1.1 Introduction - - 1.2 Background of the research - - 1.3 Research question and research hypotheses - - 1.4 Justification for the research - - 1.5 Methodology - - 1.6 Limitations and assumptions - - 1.7 Outline of this research - - 1.8 Conclusion - - CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW - 11 - 2.1 Introduction - 11 - 2.2 Parent discipline 1: Social Network - 12 - 2.2.1 Network - 12 - 2.2.2 Social network - 18 - 2.3 2.3.1 2.4 Parent discipline 2: Dimensions of Social Capital - 21 Social capital - 21 Synthesis Immediate Discipline - 26 - 2.4.1 Online social networks - 26 - 2.4.2 Dimension of social capital - 29 - 2.4.2.1 Relational Capital Social interaction - 30 2.4.2.2 Structural Capital Social roles and norms - 31 2.4.2.3 Cognitive Capital Social Trust - 32 2.4.3 2.5 Social Capital Online - 33 Theoretical framework - 35 - 2.5.1 Introduction - 35 - 2.5.2 Initial conceptual model - 35 - 2.5.3 Research Hypotheses - 37 - 2.6 CHAPTER Conclusions - 40 METHODOLOGY - 41 - 3.1 Introduction - 41 - 3.2 Justification for the research paradigm - 42 - 3.2.1 Research paradigm - 42 - 3.2.2 Justification for the research paradigm - 43 IV 3.3 Research design - 45 - 3.4 Data collection techniques - 46 - 3.4.1 Usage of surveys for data collection - 46 - 3.4.2 Questionnaire development - 52 - 3.4.3 Section structure, content of questions, wording - 54 - 3.4.4 Section response format - 54 - 3.4.5 Section structure of the questionnaire - 57 - 3.4.6 Section design web based survey - 59 - 3.4.7 Section pre-test - 59 - 3.4.8 Section revise - 59 - 3.4.9 Section place survey on web - 60 - 3.5 Reliability and validity - 60 - 3.6 Ethical considerations - 63 - 3.7 Conclusion - 63 - CHAPTER DATA ANALYSIS - 65 - 4.1 Introduction - 65 - 4.2 Data examination and pre-screening - 66 - 4.2.1 Data cleaning and screening - 66 - 4.2.2 Missing data treatment - 66 - 4.2.3 Outliers - 67 - 4.2.4 Assumptions of multivariate - 68 - 4.3 4.3.1 Descriptive analysis - 69 Summary of descriptive statistics - 69 - 4.4 Test of model - 75 - 4.5 Test of hypotheses - 80 - 4.5.1 Testing Hypothesis - 82 - 4.5.2 Testing Hypothesis - 83 - 4.5.3 Testing Hypothesis - 84 - 4.5.4 Testing Hypothesis - 86 - 4.5.5 Testing Hypothesis - 87 - 4.6 CHAPTER Conclusions - 89 DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS - 93 - 5.1 Introduction - 93 - 5.2 Conclusions about hypotheses - 94 V 5.2.1 Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between the dimensions of social capital and the benefits/ risks of using online social communities - 95 5.2.2 Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between the benefits and risks of using online social communities and the dimensions of social capital, and the intensity of - 101 5.2.3 Hypothesis 3: The relationship between social interaction and the usage is influenced by indirect effects - 106 5.2.4 Hypothesis 4: The relationship between role and norms in online social communities and the usage is influenced by indirect effects - 107 5.2.5 Hypothesis 5: The relationship between trust and the usage is influenced by indirect effects - 109 5.3 Conclusions regarding the research problem - 110 - 5.4 Implications - 111 - 5.4.1 Contribution to theory - 111 - 5.4.2 Contribution to practice - 114 - 5.5 Limitations of this research - 115 - 5.6 Implications for future research - 116 - 5.7 Conclusion - 118 - References - 119 Appendices - 134 - VI List of Tables Page TABLE 2.1: THE DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL - 23 TABLE 3.1: DATA COLLECTION METHODS COMPARATIVE TABLE - 49 TABLE 3.2: INTERNET SURVEYS FOR DATA COLLECTION - 50 TABLE 3.3: GOOD QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN PRINCIPLES - 55 TABLE 3.4: VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY - 61 TABLE 4.1: RESPONDENTS PROFILE - 70 TABLE 4.2: FREQUENCY TABLE OF THE SELECTED RESPONDENTS PROFILE - 71 TABLE 4.3: COMPARISON OF AVERAGE TIME ACCESSING ONLINE SOCIAL COMMUNITIES - 71 TABLE 4.4: PERCEPTION OF CHANGE IN SOCIAL LIFE - 73 TABLE 4.5: CHANGES ON ACCESSING ONLINE SOCIAL COMMUNITIES - 73 TABLE 4.6: EXTRACTION METHOD: PRINCIPLE COMPONENT ANALYSIS FOR DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL STRUCTURE MATRIX FOR FACTORS - 76 TABLE 4.7: EXTRACTION METHOD: PRINCIPLE COMPONENT ANALYSIS FOR BENEFIT AND RISK STRUCTURE MATRIX FOR FACTORS - 78 TABLE 4.8: SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF HYPOTHESES - 92 TABLE 5.1: LIST OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESES - 96 TABLE 5.2: SUMMARY OF HYPOTHESES FOUND IN THIS RESEARCH - 97 TABLE 5.3: IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE - 113 - VII List of Figures Page FIGURE 1.1: FIGURE 1.2: FIGURE 2.1: FIGURE 2.2: FIGURE 2.3: FIGURE 2.4: FIGURE 2.5: FIGURE 2.6: FIGURE 2.7: FIGURE 2.8: FIGURE 2.9: OUTLINE OF CHAPTER - OUTLINE OF THIS THESIS - 10 LITERATURE REVIEW FRAMEWORK FOR THIS RESEARCH - 12 OUTLINE OF LITERATURE REVIEW FOR PARENT DISCIPLINE 1: SOCIAL NETWORK - 12 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL LIKES - 14 AND LIKE ONE ANOTHER OR THEIR LIKING IS MUTUAL - 14 IS CONNECTED TO VIA - 14 AND LIKE ONE ANOTHER, AND AND LIKE ONE ANOTHER - 14 1, 2, AND ARE INTERRELATED - 14 OUTLINE OF LITERATURE REVIEW FOR PARENT DISCIPLINE 2: SOCIAL CAPITAL - 21 OUTLINE OF LITERATURE REVIEW FOR IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINE: SOCIAL CAPITAL IN ELECTRONIC SOCIAL COMMUNITIES - 26 FIGURE 2.10: THE DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL - 30 FIGURE 2.11: DEVELOPED CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF SOCIAL CAPITAL - 36 FIGURE 3.1: OUTLINE OF CHAPTER - 42 FIGURE 3.2: ELEMENTS FOR SELECTING TYPES OF DATA COLLECTION METHOD - 45 FIGURE 3.3: OUTLINE OF QUESTIONNAIRE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS - 53 FIGURE 4.1 : OUTLINE OF CHAPTER - 65 FIGURE 4.2: PURPOSE FOR ACCESSING ONLINE SOCIAL COMMUNITIES - 72 FIGURE 4.3: PLACES ACCESSING ONLINE SOCIAL COMMUNITIES - 72 FIGURE 4.4: THE INITIAL REGRESSION MODEL IN THE RESEARCH - 81 FIGURE 4.5: THE REVISED REGRESSION MODEL IN THIS RESEARCH - 91 FIGURE 5.1: OUTLINE OF CHAPTER - 93 FIGURE 5.2: THE NEW CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH MODEL - 118 - VIII CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction The aim of this chapter is to provide a summary of this thesis After the introduction in Section 1.1, Section 1.2 describes the background of the research Following that, the research question and research hypotheses are presented in Section 1.3 Section 1.4 and Section 1.5 briefly explain the justification and research methodology in this thesis, followed by Section 1.6, which describes the limitations and assumptions The outline of each chapter in this thesis is recapitulated in Section 1.7 Section 1.8 concludes this chapter by providing the structure of this research as shown in Figure 1.2 The outline of this chapter is illustrated in Figure 1.1 Figure 1.1: Outline of Chapter 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background of the research 1.3 Research question and research hypotheses 1.4 Justification for the research 1.5 Research methodology 1.6 Limitations and assumptions 1.7 Outline of this research 1.8 Conclusion Source: Developed for this research 1.2 Background of the research The revolution of the Internet has changed human behaviour since the late 1990s (Stevenson & Hamill, 2002) Owing to the convenience and flexibility of the Internet, people started to use the Internet for personal purposes, and thereby the Internet -1- 17 You worry about accessing an online social community because: 5 I worry about being victimised by malicious behaviour like unsolicited messages I worry about being victimised by unauthorised access to information about me I worry about being victimised by erroneous or fraudulent information It is not real social communities I prefer making new friends in real social communities I worry about hackers 18 In general: I feel I belong to an online social community I am satisfied with participating in an online social community I agree with the values of an online social community Sharing my knowledge will help me to make friends on an online social community - 138 - Appendix 3.2 Online survey website (Queensland Technology of University) - 139 - - 140 - Appendix 3.3 Blurb for recruitment (Online) Facebook Blurb for recruitment (Paper) - 141 - - 142 - Appendix 3.4 The relation between the scales and the propositions Factor variable (label) and scale for measurement Scale for measurement (Relational) My friends on an online social community understand me (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007) Talk to people when I feel lonely (Williams, 2006) Interacting with people can give me new people to talk to (Williams, 2006) Easier to talk to others during work or study (Adkins, 2009) I can maintain close social relationships with people (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (Structural) It has allowed me to communicate with all kinds of interesting people I would never have interacted with (The University of Sydney, 2006) Interact with people from various ethnic background (Adkins, 2009) Interact with people from different religious groups (Adkins, 2009) Equal opportunity provided online (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) They behave in a consistent manner (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (Cognitive) Friends online help solve my problems (Williams, 2006) Privacy protected to talk about intimate issues with close friends (Williams, 2006) People online are usually helpful (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007) People online will always keep the promises they make to one another (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) People online would help me if I need it (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (Capitals Benefits) Information is trustworthy, like TV and newspapers (The University of Sydney, 2006) Easier to find mates with exact interests than real life (The University of Sydney, 2006) I can get information more easily than in my real life (The University of Sydney, 2006) Interacting with people makes me want to try new things (Williams, 2006) Interacting with people makes me interested in what people unlike me are thinking (Williams, 2006) Gaining more curiosity when talking to others online (Williams, 2006) People will share the same goal of learning from each other (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (Capitals Risks) Safe to talk to others online like other ways (The University of Sydney) The ambiguous roles results in unsafe information sharing (Millen, Patterson, & Costanzo, 2000) Impossible to make request to the online unfamiliar people (Williams, 2006) I worry about being victimised by people who are - 143 - Adopted/ Adapted Proposition Adapted P2a; P3ab Adapted P2a; P3ab Adapted P2a; P3ab Adapted P2a; P3ab Adapted P2a; P3ab Adapted P2b; P4ab Adapted P2b; P4ab Adapted P2b; P4ab Adapted P2b; P4ab Adapted P2b; P4ab Adapted P2c; P5ab Adapted P2c; P5ab Adapted P2c; P5ab Adapted P2c; P5ab Adapted P2c; P5ab Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1a; P3a; P4a; P5a P1b; P3b; P4b; P5b P1b; P3b; P4b; P5b P1b; P3b; P4b; P5b P1b; P3b; masquerading to others (Millen, Patterson, & Costanzo, 2000) An online social community isolates people from one another (The University of Sydney, 2006) (Benefits) I can use it to search for information/events (The University of Sydney, 2006) I can use it to find people who share my interest (Adkins, 2009) Sharing my knowledge online will give me a feeling of happiness (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) Sharing my knowledge online strengthens relationships among users (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) The knowledge shared by people is relevant to the topics (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) The knowledge shared by people is reliable (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (Risks) I worry about being victimised by malicious behaviour like unsolicited messages (Millen, Patterson, & Costanzo, 2000) I worry about being victimised by unauthorised access to information about me (Millen, Patterson, & Costanzo, 2000) I worry about being victimised by erroneous or fraudulent information (Millen, Patterson, & Costanzo, 2000) It is not real social communities (The University of Sydney, 2006) I prefer making new friends in real social communities (The University of Sydney, 2006) I worry about hackers (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) (General) I feel I belong to an online social community (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007) I am satisfied with participating in an online social community (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007) I agree with the values of online social community (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007) Sharing my knowledge will help me to make friends on online social community (Chiu, Hsu & Wang, 2006) P4b; P5b Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted P1b; P3b; P4b; P5b P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a P2d; P3a; P4a; P5a Adapted P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b Adapted P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b Adapted Adapted Adapted Adapted P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b P2e; P3b; P4b; P5b Adapted Usage Adapted Usage Adapted Usage Adapted Usage Source: Developed for this research from Adkins (2009); Chiu, Hsu and Wang (2006); Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe (2007); Millen, Patterson, and Costanzo (2000); The University of Sydney (2006); Williams (2006) - 144 - Appendix 4.1 CAP Analysis (elements of Social Capital) The initial extraction method: Principle Component Analysis for elements of Social Capital Structure Matrix for factors Structure s2 – Interact with people from various ethnic 877 background s3 – Interact with people from different 843 religious groups s1 – It has allowed me to communicate with 790 all kinds of interesting people I would never have interacted with s4 – Equal opportunity provided online .633 c5 – People online would help me if I need it c3 – People online are usually helpful c4 – People online will always keep the promises they make to one another c1 – Friends online help solve my problems r3 – Interacting with people can give me new 368 people to talk to r4 – Easier to talk to others during work or study r2 – Talk to people when I feel lonely r1 – My friends on an online social community understand me r5 – I can maintain close social relationships with people s5 – They behave in a consistent manner c2 – Privacy protected to talk about intimate issues with close friends Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization a Rotation converged in iterations Factor Cognition Relation 386 811 763 742 322 549 302 680 677 333 655 635 622 360 Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 145 - Unknown 836 686 (Impact of Social Capital) The initial extraction method: Principle Component Analysis for impact of Social Capital Structure Matrix for factors Factor C_Benefit C_b5 – Interacting with people makes me A_Risk A_Benefit C_Risk 787 interested in what people unlike me are thinking C_b6 – Gaining more curiosity when 734 talking to others online C_b4 – Interacting with people makes me 701 want to try new things C_b7 – People will share the same goal of 667 learning from each other C_b3 – I can get information more easily 639 than my real life C_b2 – Easier to find mates with exact 606 interest than real life A_r3 – I worry about being victimised by 770 erroneous or fraudulent information A_r2 – I worry about being victimised by 759 unauthorised access to information about me A_r1 – I worry about being victimised by 732 malicious behaviour like unsolicited messages A_r4 – It is not real social communities .723 A_r6 – I worry about hackers .685 A_r5 – I prefer making new friends in real 605 social communities Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 146 - 338 Unknown (Impact of Social Capital) The initial extraction method: Principle Component Analysis for impact of Social Capital Structure Matrix for factors Factor C_Benefit A_Risk A_b4 – Sharing my knowledge online A_Benefit C_Risk Unknown 811 strengthens relationships among users A_b3 – Sharing my knowledge online will 771 give me a feeling of happiness A_b2 – I can use it to find people who 399 695 share my interest A_b5 – The knowledge shared by people is 656 399 relevant to the topics A_b1 – I can use it to search for 428 576 information/events C_r3 – Impossible to make request to the 785 online unfamiliar people C_r2 – The ambiguous role results in 724 unsafe information sharing C_r4 – I worry about being victimised by 401 624 people who are masquerading to others C_r5 – An online social community isolates 502 people from one another A_b6 – The knowledge shared by people is 374 699 reliable C_b1 – Information is trustworthy, like TV 401 636 and newspaper C_r1 – Safe to talk to others online like 392 other ways Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization a Rotation converged in iterations Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 147 - 480 Appendix 4.2 Elements of social capital, Total Variance Explained Initial Eigenvalues Component Total % of Variance Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 4.581 35.238 35.238 4.581 35.238 35.238 2.843 21.868 21.868 1.969 15.146 50.384 1.969 15.146 50.384 2.504 19.263 41.131 1.262 9.708 60.092 1.262 9.708 60.092 2.465 18.961 60.092 916 7.047 67.139 730 5.613 72.752 644 4.956 77.709 575 4.420 82.129 512 3.935 86.064 456 3.505 89.569 10 421 3.238 92.807 11 349 2.684 95.491 12 323 2.482 97.973 13 263 2.027 100.000 Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 148 - Appendix 4.3 Benefit and risk, total variance explained Initial Eigenvalues Component Total % of Variance Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 6.224 29.638 29.638 6.224 29.638 29.638 3.637 17.320 17.320 2.920 13.905 43.543 2.920 13.905 43.543 3.477 16.556 33.876 1.739 8.280 51.823 1.739 8.280 51.823 2.911 13.860 47.736 1.254 5.972 57.796 1.254 5.972 57.796 2.113 10.060 57.796 963 4.586 62.382 913 4.347 66.729 776 3.698 70.426 741 3.530 73.956 670 3.193 77.149 10 610 2.906 80.054 11 588 2.801 82.855 12 551 2.624 85.480 13 509 2.424 87.904 14 472 2.247 90.151 15 422 2.011 92.162 16 373 1.775 93.937 17 335 1.593 95.531 18 276 1.313 96.844 19 237 1.129 97.972 20 227 1.083 99.055 21 198 945 100.000 - 149 - Appendix 4.4 Mediation Analysis (relational capital online social communities usage) Table: Mediation for relational capital online social communities usage Predictors Benefits Online social communities usage Relational1 Relational2 Independent Variables Relational capital 0.501*** 0.490*** 0.261*** Benefits 0.456*** R 0.251 0.240 0.396 Adjusted R 0.249 0.238 0.392 F value 116.705*** 109.865*** 113.708*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Table: Mediation for relational capital online social communities usage Predictors Risks Online social communities usage Relational1 Relational2 Independent Variables Relational capital 0.173** 0.490*** 0.457*** Risks 0.192*** R 0.030 0.240 0.276 Adjusted R 0.027 0.238 0.271 F value 10.773** 109.865*** 66.031*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 150 - (structural capital online social communities usage) Table: Mediation for structural capital online social communities usage Predictors Benefits Online social communities usage Structural1 Structural2 Independent Variables Structural capital 0.352*** 0.463*** 0.292*** Benefits 0.484*** R 0.124 0.214 0.420 Adjusted R2 0.121 0.212 0.416 F value 49.130*** 94.791*** 125.486*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Table: Mediation for structural capital online social communities usage Predictors Risks Online social communities usage Structural1 Structural2 Independent Variables Structural capital 0.190*** 0.463*** 0.427*** Risks 0.190*** R 0.036 0.214 0.249 Adjusted R2 0.033 0.212 0.244 F value 13.065*** 94.791*** 57.471*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 151 - (cognitive capital online social communities usage) Table: Mediation for cognitive capital online social communities usage Predictors Benefits Online social communities usage Cognitive1 Cognitive2 Independent Variables Cognitive capital 0.397*** 0.372*** 0.164*** Benefits 0.522*** R 0.158 0.138 0.368 Adjusted R2 0.155 0.136 0.364 F value 65.239*** 55.744*** 100.822*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Table: Mediation for cognitive capital online social communities usage Predictors Risks Online social communities usage Cognitive1 Cognitive2 Independent Variables Cognitive capital 0.071 0.372*** Risks R2 0.005 0.138 Adjusted R2 0.002 0.136 F value 1.766 55.744*** * p < 05; ** p < 01; *** p < 001 Source: Analysis of survey data Note: N= 350 - 152 - ... risks of using online social communities and the dimensions of social capital, and the intensity of online social communities usage Hypothesis 3: The relationship between social interaction and the. .. to examine the effects of the dimensions of social capital: relational capital, structural capital, and cognitive capital, determining the intensity of using online social communities The data... between individual social capital exchange within online social networks Secondly, social trust was found to have a weak effect in influencing the intensity of individuals using online social communities