ABSTRACT
Social capital and social support are known to be among the most eectual variables when it comes to well-being and satisfaction with life. Previous research from social psychology has shown that social support is a crucial buering factor for critical life events such as chronic illnesses, immigration, or other forms of physical and psychological stress (Gleason & Iida, 2015). In communication, social media are at the heart of research on the interplay of well-being, media use, and social support, because they provide their users with multiple ways to communicate with, befriend, and mutually support each other (Ellison & Vitak, 2015; Utz, 2014). This chapter rst reviews the theoretical background of social capital and social support and elaborates the dierences and commonalities between both concepts. The measurement of social capital and social support in mediated contexts emerged as a crucial problem of research on these topics for several reasons, and we provide sample measures and discuss their benets and problems. Based on the two concepts’ disciplinary background, we suggest dierent hypotheses of how media use, social support, social capital, and well-being are linked theoretically, and review current research accordingly. Two strands of research currently dominate the eld, and both are referred to in the remainder of the chapter: The rst deals with social support in everyday circumstances and mostly addresses support provision in the context of social media. The second addresses social support and social capital in times of personal crisis such as during illness, which is frequently exchanged in online support forums. Finally, beyond describing the limits of current research, our discussion identies new ways to approach the triangle of social support/social capital, media use, and well-being in future research.
