Exploring Online Social Networking Patterns and the Growth of Social Capital Among Rural Maritime Community Members

This research investigates the creation of online social capital among members of the rural maritime community. The major goal of this study is to determine how much the maritime community uses online networking and how social capital grows within the community via the internet. In-depth interviews were used to gather data from community members and internet center managers in three states of Malaysia's East Coast Region. Main findings extracted from the interviews have been categorized into three themes; (1) Patterns of Online Social Networking and Social Media Use, (2) Social Networking and Trust, and (3) Social Capital Development