From social capital to continuous use of social networking sites: A conceptualisation

Site use is important to the sustainability of social networking sites. In this paper, we explore the drivers of member site use through the theoretical lens of social capital theory. Drawing upon supporting literature, we contend that social capital acts as an important factor in motivating members to continue their site usage. Specifically, we expect cognitive, structural, and relational capital to jointly contribute to one's use activity. In addition, we investigate the intricate relationships among the three capital acts and suggest that cognitive and relational capital will strengthen (i.e., positive moderation) the relationship between structural capital and member site use. This article contributes to the literature on social networking sites by developing a theoretical framework that helps explain user behaviour. The study also sheds light on social capital research by advocating the potential value of social capital theory in social networking research and theorising the mutual relationships among distinct social capitals.