Social Media Use Among Digital Natives and Offline Social Capital: The Moderating Role of Empathy

Abstract

This study examines the correlation between digital natives’ social media use (frequency, intensity, usage patterns) and offline social capital (bonding, bridging), as well as empathy’s (cognitive, affective) moderating role. Adopting a mixed-methods design, it conducted a cross-sectional survey (N=2,089) and semi-structured interviews (N=42) with 18–25-year-olds from five countries (China, Germany, India, Spain, Ghana). Survey results showed active social media use (interactive communication, content creation) positively predicted both bonding and bridging social capital, while passive use (browsing without interaction) negatively predicted bonding social capital and had no significant effect on bridging social capital. Empathy significantly moderated these links: high empathy strengthened the positive association of active use with offline social capital and weakened the negative association of passive use with bonding social capital. Interview findings further indicated high-empathy digital natives were more likely to convert online interactions into offline relationships, whereas low-empathy ones tended to be isolated by passive use. These findings deepen theoretical insights into digital media’s impact on offline social outcomes and offer practical guidance for balancing online-offline social lives.

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