Internet Indispensability, Online Social Capital, and Consumer Well-Being

Hoffman, D.L. and L. Wright (2010), Draft of chapter to appear in the section “Technological Fronts” in Transformative Consumer Research for Personal and Collective Well Being: Reviews and Frontiers , Eds David Mick, Simone Pettigrew, Connie Pechmann, and Julie Ozanne. Download pdf.

In the last several years, researchers interested in the factors influencing longevity have discovered a strong positive connection between being socially active and physical and mental well-being in later life.Perhaps not surprisingly, researchers have recently discovered that similar benefits may also accrue from online social connections.Although research in this area has barely begun, it is reasonable to wonder whether these beneficial effects of Internet use will accrue to all consumers equally. It is therefore worthwhile to examine several key factors that may contribute to whether Internet use will lead to increased consumer well-being. The general hypothesis we explore in this chapter is that consumers who find the Internet indispensable to their daily lives are motivated to build and maintain online social capital and with that store of online social capital, experience positive outcomes related to mental health and physical well-being. We explore this general hypothesis in this chapter and raise what we hope will be interesting questions for an exciting upcoming research area.