Designing a Social Media Capital Model in the Northern Provinces of Iran
Keywords:
social capital, social media, social media capitalAbstract
This study aimed to design and validate an indigenous model of social media capital by identifying its dimensions, components, and indicators within the socio-cultural context of Northern Iran. A sequential qualitative design was employed. In the model-development phase, thematic analysis based on the six-step framework of Braun and Clarke was utilized. Participants included university faculty members in media management, communication sciences, cultural studies, sociology, and public relations, as well as senior media practitioners and communication experts. Twenty-one experts were selected through snowball sampling and participated in semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. In the validation phase, sixteen experts were selected purposively and participated in a three-round Delphi process using an expert evaluation checklist. Qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas software, while Delphi data were examined through descriptive statistics in SPSS. The analysis generated 513 initial codes, which were refined into 119 final indicators, 24 subthemes, and 6 overarching themes. The final model consisted of network capital, relational-trust capital, cognitive-content/symbolic capital, participatory-action capital, technological-infrastructural and digital competency capital, and institutional-governance/contextual capital. Delphi results confirmed all 24 subthemes identified during the qualitative phase. Among the most influential components were network diversity (Mean=3.96), social support (Mean=4.04), message transmissibility and retellability (Mean=3.88), interactive participation (Mean=3.91), privacy and security (Mean=3.96), and formal media regulations (Mean=3.91). High Kendall’s coefficients across Delphi rounds indicated strong consensus among experts regarding the validity of the proposed model. The findings demonstrate that social media capital is a multidimensional construct emerging from the interaction of network, relational, cognitive, participatory, technological, and institutional factors. The proposed model provides a comprehensive framework for policymakers, media managers, and social planners to strengthen social capital and optimize the use of social media in Northern Iran. Furthermore, it offers a foundation for future regional and comparative studies on social media capital.
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