社会杂志 ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 1-22.

• 专题:社会网络与社会流动 •    下一篇

论社会网络虚实转换的双重动力

边燕杰, 缪晓雷   

  1. 西安交通大学人文社会科学学院、实证社会科学研究所
  • 发布日期:2019-11-19
  • 作者简介:边燕杰,E-mail:yjbian@xjtu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    本研究得到国家社会科学基金重大项目“基于多学科理解的社会网络模型研究”(13&ZD177)的支持。

Dual Powers of Virtual-Real Transformation in Social Networks

BIAN Yanjie, MIAO Xiaolei   

  1. School of Humanities and Social Sciences, IESSR, Xi'an Jiaotong University
  • Published:2019-11-19
  • Supported by:
    The research is supported by Chinese National Social Science Foundation (13&ZD177).

摘要: 本文探讨了社会网络虚实转换的线上推动力和线下拉动力问题。JSNET2014调查数据表明,虚拟空间亲密好友数量对于虚实转换的推动力有正向影响,但非线性的。线上好友超过50人,虚实转换程度下降,印证了西方实证研究中发现的所谓“邓巴数字定律”在中国网络好友中也是存在的。线上推动力的另一指标同样显示了积极作用,因为专业使用者比一般使用者更具有虚实转换优势。实体空间的拉动力对于虚实转换也存在正向作用:其一,以餐饮社交参与程度为标志的人际交往需求越高,线上好友的下线比率越大;其二,以经济收入为标志的人际交往的承付和兑现能力越强,好友的虚实转换几率越高。这些发现都是在控制了个人身份特征的基础上获得的,有力地说明了线上和线下的双重动力都独立存在。系数集束化分析进一步表明,线上推动力效应大于线下拉动力效应。实证分析还表明,线下拉动力的两个指标之间是相互抑制的,高收入群体在网络交往中不但不受交往需求的影响,人际交往意愿反而会因收入水平的提高而降低。

关键词: 社会网络, 虚拟空间, 实体空间, 社会资本

Abstract: How do online social networks transform to offline social networks? This paper discusses online pushing power and offline pulling power of such transformation. The number of close online friends and professional orientation toward online networking are the two indicators of online pushing power, and interpersonal communication needs and exchange networking abilities are the two indicators of offline pulling power. JSNET 2014 dataset shows that the number of online close friends has a positive pushingimpact on the virtual-real transformation, but such an impact is not linear because when someone has more than 50 close online friends, this impact will begin weakening, which confirms the existence of Dunbar's digital law in China. At the same time, the other indicator of the online pushing power also generates a positive impact, because professional online users have significantly more close online friends to become offline friends than non-professional online users.The variables of offline pulling power generate equally impressive effects. For one, the frequency of attending social eating activities, a variable of social exchange needs, increases the transferring of online friends to offline friends. For another, economic income, a variable of economic ability to entertain social eating activities, also significantly increases this virtual-to-real transformation of friendships. Importantly, all of these empirical results are obtained after personal characteristics of the survey respondents are statistically controlled for, which indicate that the online pushing powers and the offline pulling powers both have independent effects.Sheaf-coefficients analysis shows that the influence of online pushing power is greater than that of offline pulling power. Statistical models also show an interactive effect of social exchange needs and abilities, because higher-income groups are not only free of the effects of social-eating frequency, but their willingness of interpersonal networking also gets lower when their income gets higher.

Key words: social networks, online networking, offline networking, social capital