The bright side of social network sites: On the potential of online social capital for mental health

Social network sites are an essential part of the daily lives of people around the globe, but our theoretical understanding of the phenomenon is still limited. However, to fully grasp the potential of social network sites and to be able to generate meaningful applications, a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon is needed. I want to introduce the concept of online social capital as the first step in this direction, and show how it could be applied to the area of mental health. Therefore, I will (1) bring together social network sites and social capital theory, (2) introduce online social capital with a special focus on its capacity and mobilization as well as on associated processes of relationship maintenance and information search, (3) explore potential implications for mental health promotion, (4) depict the mental health risks that are associated with the use of social network sites, and (5) highlight some areas for future research.