A Four-Level Approach to the Study of Cross-cultural Social Networking

Unlike other online communities, social networking sites (SNSs) provide the platform for individuals to present themselves and to connect with others through list of connections. Researching social capital, which arises from networked relationship on cross-cultural networking, can help us gain a systematic understanding of cultural differences and their roles in cross-cultural interaction in terms of cultural differences (individual level), cross-cultural relationships (relationship level), cross-cultural social networks (network level) and cross-cultural social-capital (consequence level). This paper hopes to highlight these areas and suggest a future research strategy that brings together these four different levels.