Use of Facebook as a Source of Social Capital

Azam Jan, Mukhtar Ahmad

Abstract
This research work was intended o study the effects of Facebook usage on the social
capital of youth in Pakistan. Through this study, the researcher anticipated to make
valued contribution in developing better understanding of Facebook uses among
Pakistani youth. For this purpose a research questionnaire was devised to collect data
from the university students of Islamabad. The questions were based on demographics,
intensity of Facebook usage and social capital. The results were tested to identify and
explain the relationship of Facebook usage on the social capital of the youth. The
researcher also tried to explore the concepts of bonding and bridging social capital in the
online settings. It is evident from the findings of the statistical analysis that there is a high
intensity relationship between Facebook and the scale of social capital among the
university students in Pakistan. Mostly, individuals who were found to have membership
in Facebook since long considered it one of the most effective tools of building social
capital.
Key words: Facebook, source, social capital