The e‐SOCAPIT scale: a multi‐item instrument for measuring online social capital

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the increasing importance of online social networks (OSN), there is little empirical research available to address different measurement scales derived from this new type of communication and interaction. The purpose of this study is to build on and extend the measurement scale of social capital proposed by Williams.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a quantitative approach, a survey was undertaken among a sample of 274 individuals to empirically test a proposed measurement scale of social capital within OSN. In order to test this scale, a confirmatory factor analysis was used.

Findings

Findings from this study provide valuable insights into the proposed scale of social capital within OSN, which reproduces the same distinctive dimensions of William's study, particularly bridging and bonding dimensions. This study went a step further and uncovered two of three further dimensions of social identity: affective/evaluative and cognitive dimension of social capital.

Practical implications

This study may assist other researchers with a new instrument to measure social capital within SNs.

Originality/value

A review of the literature on OSN (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln and others), which have become a new phenomena in human communication and interaction, illustrates that there is a need for improvement of scale measurements.

Citation

Carlos Pinho, J. (2013), "The e‐SOCAPIT scale: a multi‐item instrument for measuring online social capital", Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 216-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-May-2012-0020