ABSTRACT

During the past decade, usage of online social network sites has grown dramatically, now exceeding search engines as the most visited Internet sites (Experian Hitwise, 2011). With the rise of such mega-sites as Facebook, which by itself now boasts more than 750 million active users around the world (Facebook Press Room, 2011), online social network site (SNS) use has become a fixture in the lives of a large proportion of the world's 2 billion Internet users (Internet World Stats, 2011). Growing evidence from analyses of SNSs use suggests that these sites have become important tools for managing relationships with a large and often heterogeneous network of people who provide social support and serve as conduits for useful information and other resources (boyd and Ellison, 2007; Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe, 2007). Such SNS benefits are derived from social relationships and have been broadly conceptualized as social capital outcomes of SNS use (Ellison et al., 2007). Beyond identifying benefits, new research explores the factors that lead to improved outcomes for SNS users (Burke, Marlow, and Lento, 2010; Ellison, Steinfield, Lampe, and Vitak, 2011). Given the pervasive use of SNSs, there is a need for a careful assessment of the ways in which users incorporate these tools into their daily lives and obtain benefits from use. The goals of this chapter are therefore to review the broad themes from this body of work and to examine the underlying mechanisms through which social capital benefits are generated. By exposing such mechanisms, we will be better prepared to educate future users about usage strategies, as well as aid designers who are adding social features to many new forms of online media.