The Relation Between ICTs and Social Capital

Social capital, which is formed by the network of relationships among human beings, plays a major role in our lives. One of the factors that may affect social capital is how and how much we use information and communication technologies (ICTs). This study investigates how ICT consumption is related to social capital. To study social capital, we used Coleman’s definition and typology and analyzed the effects of ICTs on social capital from four aspects: information storing, exchanging, transferring and processing devices. We surveyed a random sample of 388 students of Allameh Tabataba’i University and KhajehNasirUniversity in the city of Tehran, Iran. The descriptive findings of the study indicate that the students comply with social norms and laws to a high degree but they tend not to participate in social groups and organizations. Regarding functional aspects of social capital, we found that the students’ generalized and interpersonal trust were rather high. Our main hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between ICT consumption and social capital was verified, although the level of the relationship was rather low.