FROM DIGITAL TO FACEBOOK DIVIDE: SOCIAL CAPITAL BENEFITS FOR FACEBOOK IMMIGRANT

ABSTRACT

TWO BILLION USERS MAKE FACEBOOK OF ACADEMIC INTEREST. THIS THESIS CREATES A FACEBOOK DIVIDE INDEX, THE DELINEATED CATEGORIES OF FACEBOOK NATIVE, FACEBOOK IMMIGRANT, AND FACEBOOK ISOLATE, AND DEVELOPS FACEBOOK INEQUALITY CONCEPTS. MACAU HAS A FAST- GROWING NUMBER OF FACEBOOK IMMIGRANTS WHO BENEFIT FROM USING THE ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK. DATA FROM PARTICIPATION-OBSERVATION AND SURVEYS DEMONSTRATE SOCIAL CAPITAL GAIN BY FACEBOOK IMMIGRANTS, WITH OLDER GENERATION FACEBOOK USERS RELATIVELY HAPPIER THAN THEIR YOUNGER COUNTERPARTS. THE THESIS CONCLUDES THAT SOCIETY NEEDS TO EQUIP AND EMPOWER THE OLDER GENERATION OR FACEBOOK ISOLATES, SO THAT THEY CAN BENEFIT FROM ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK USAGE