Abstract
This article investigates social capital formation processes within online communities, examining how digital interactions create trust, reciprocity, and collective action capacity. Through analysis of three different types of online communities — professional networks, civic platforms, and interest-based forums — the study tests whether digital social capital functions similarly to its offline counterpart.
Key Findings
- Online communities generate measurable forms of social capital, though qualitatively different from offline social capital
- Trust in online settings develops through different mechanisms including reputation systems and community moderation
- Bridging social capital is more readily generated online than bonding social capital
- Online social capital can translate into offline collective action under certain conditions
Methodology
Mixed-methods research combining computational analysis of online community interaction data with surveys and interviews of community members across three platforms.
Implications
The findings contribute to understanding how digital technologies reshape social organisation, with implications for community development, civic engagement, and social cohesion in increasingly digitised societies.
