Authors:
Claudia Loebbecke
1
;
Paolo Depaoli
2
and
Marco De Marco
3
Affiliations:
1
University of Cologne, Germany
;
2
University of Urbino, Italy
;
3
University Guglielmo Marconi, Italy
Keyword(s):
Social Community, Social Capital, 3D, Empirical Analysis.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Cloud Computing
;
Collaboration and e-Services
;
Data Communication Networking
;
e-Business
;
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Platforms and Applications
;
Social Networks
;
Telecommunications
Abstract:
3D virtual communities, a particular form of platforms, have gained remarkable attention in theory and practice. Similarly, the well established concept of social capital, which describes resources becoming accessible and available through the connection and interaction between individuals on a platform, has regained prominence with the boom of social media. In this study, we investigate the development of social capital in 3D virtual communities. Adapting the model of Adler and Kwon (2002), we analyze the role of motivation, ability, opportunity, and integration fir constituting social capital in 3D virtual communities. Our empirical investigation conducted in 2008 and 2009 among users of two 3D virtual communities, one networking platform and one online gaming platform, suggests that only motivation and ability are generally important. We conclude that the sources of social capital depend on the specific type and user audience of a 3D virtual community as well as on the sophisticat
ion of the available tools in the particular 3D environment and the cultural openness of the network.
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