Exploring the Formation of Social Capital in a Malaysia Virtual Community

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory case study is to understand the formation of social capital within a Malaysian e-community context. A qualitative approach is employed to generate an in-depth understanding of the formation of social capital elements in the United Subang Group (USG) e-community. This community was selected because it is one of the most active virtual communities in Malaysia and among the first virtual communities developed there. We conducted semi-structured interviews and administered open-ended online questionnaires, with a total of 43 respondents. Through interpretive analysis, our findings affirm that while many of the classic features of social capital are present, such as group characteristics, norms, togetherness, sociability, connections, and volunteerism, trust building among virtual communities remains a challenge.