The contribution of mobile social media to social capital and psychological well-being: Examining the role of communicative use, friending and self-disclosure

Using a two-wave panel in Hong Kong, this study examines how different uses of mobile social media contribute to individuals' social capital and psychological well-being. Findings showed that communicative use and self-disclosure on mobile social media were positively related to bonding and bridging capital and psychological well-being. Friending was also positively related to bridging capital, but not to bonding capital and psychological well-being. Moreover, both bonding and bridging capital mediated the relationship between mobile social media use and psychological well-being. This study highlights the unique social and technological affordances of smartphones by examining mobile social media use and how it contributes to quality of life. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.