Taking Advantage of Using Professionally-Oriented Social Network Sites: The Role of Users' Actions and Profiles

The main objective of this research is to propose a model that explains the process by which individuals develop social capital through using Professionally-Oriented Social Network Sites (P-SNSs) such as LinkedIn. The theoretical framework of the proposed research draws upon the extant literature in social network analysis and social capital theory. The proposed research model aims to explain how people’s investment on their social networks by building their profiles and actively participating on P-SNSs can lead to developing sources of social capital which, in turn, can provide them valuable benefits. Our research results show that profile disclosure and active participation positively affect perceived social connectedness. However, only profile disclosure positively affects network size, and there is no association between active participation and network size. This study differs from previous studies in this field in that it highlights the role of one’s profile in the social capital formation process on P-SNSs.

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