ABSTRACT
Social capital has been a subject of research among various academic domains. The extant theories and research findings have established that social networks result in the formation of social capital. Researchers have also argued in favor of the quantifiable nature of this capital and that this capital has real capital-like properties. Due to the developments in computer-mediated communication technology, social networking sites (SNSs) started offering similar and innovative networking actions as in traditional networks. These SNSs have also been reported to accrue similar social capital as in offline networks. The researchers earlier focused on bridging social capital due to the assumption that the physical distance may just result in weak ties. The later works also confirmed that the SNSs equally form strong ties resulting in bonding social capital. A new name, online social capital, is used to characterize the social capital resulting from SNSs. Studies have indicated that online social capital has the potential to positively impact the career development of students, especially those pursuing professional programs, in multiple ways. The current study aims to review the extant research on online social capital with a focus on students. Further, it aims to formulate a theoretical model that describes the factors affecting online social capital and the various outcomes (dependent variables) for students’ careers.
