Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia

World Association for Triple Helix and Future Strategy Studies (세계트리플헬릭스미래전략학회)
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Does the Use of Social Network Sites and Mobile Phones Promote the Acquisition of Job-Related Information, Job Mobility and Entrepreneurship in Asia?

  • Skoric, Marko M. (Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong) ;
  • Ji, Pan (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics) ;
  • Fu, Wayne Wei-Jen (Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University) ;
  • Sim, Clarice Chwei Lin (Singapore Polytechnic) ;
  • Park, Yongjin (Howard University)
  • Published : 2015.05.31

Abstract

This study examines how different uses of social network sites (SNS) and mobile phones (MP) to communicate with friends and business associates are related to the acquisition of job-related information, job mobility, and entrepreneurial intentions, using social capital as its main theoretical lens. To this end, a nationally representative, random digit dialing (RDD) survey was conducted in Singapore. Path analyses show that SNS interactions with friends are positively related to both bonding and bridging social capital. The former is linked with greater job mobility, the latter with entrepreneurship, and both are associated with more job-related information. SNS interactions with business contacts are directly positively related to job-related information and entrepreneurship. For mobile phones, interactions with friends are positively related to social capital, job information and entrepreneurship. Professional networking is associated with more bridging social capital, job information and job mobility. Bonding capital is found to be linked with greater job mobility, while bridging capital has a positive relationship with both entrepreneurship and job mobility.

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