The role of social capital and social media in social inequality

The dominance of social media in our everyday lives engages a longstanding debate within sociology regarding the role of technologies in either increasing or decreasing social capital and how this affects social inequality. While mass media - with their individualizing effects - were seen as decreasing social capital and increasing inequality, social media - with its connecting features - is seen as enhancing social capital and positively impacting socioeconomic achievement and quality of life. This chapter examines the intersections of social media, social capital, and social inequality by providing an overview of studies that shed light on this ongoing debate. The authors argue that social media inherently differs from earlier mass media technologies, and they provide an analysis of the unique features and affordances of different types of social media and their impact on social networks and resource mobilization. They investigate different aspects of social capital and examine the role of social media at the micro level (for individuals) and macro levels (for groups, organizations, and communities). To conclude, the authors identify key methodological challenges and suggest avenues for future research.