Blog #5 — Social Capital
Social capital relies on the power of trust and networking in relationships. I think the introduction of social capital has allowed people to really develop a strong personal identity and create common interests. With the power of social media, it has made it easier than ever to expand your circle and find people to establish a strong personal connection with. While it makes sense that bonding capital would be more important for someone’s acceptance, I believe it is just as important to have bridging capital as well. If I’m able to have an interesting conversation with someone I’ve just met and connect with them on similar interests, I feel wanted in society. Users on social media can share their thoughts more easily on platforms like Twitter rather than Facebook because there are no emotional ties to the people who will see the content. As I discussed in my last reflection, social media speeds up the process of validation. With bridging capital being easier to come by, people can gain validation and acceptance fast while still maintaining valuable bonding capital like friends and family.
One example of an influencer who I have seen grow a lot of social capital over the years is Adelaine Morin. Adelaine is a Canadian vlogger who has 1.1 Million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million YouTube subscribers across her 3 channels. Her general content is her day-in-life activities, traveling, shopping, and doing hauls from certain brands who endorse her. Adelaine however, didn’t always have the social capital she does today. As I’ve followed her over the past couple of years I’ve seen her create a transparent, relatable brand that people want to follow. Some of these actions included creating a clothing brand called Girls Supporting Girls that donated proceeds to breast cancer research and women’s shelters. She’s constantly communicating with fans over social media and created a community where her followers can interact. She has giveaways on her channel which gives back to those who support her. Adelaine has also collaborated with other influencers in her target audience to expand her social capital and build relationships with the people around her.
I thought she was an interesting example because she isn’t one of the biggest influencers, but her dedication to her fans and family has established trust with people who want to follow her because she does things for the right reasons. The reciprocity she is providing for her audience is that they support her and she supports bigger causes. When someone buys her merchandise, they feel good that they’re donating to a bigger cause. When someone watches her videos, that money she receives goes back into her content to keep creating things people want to see, constantly providing entertainment in her community. When you watch her videos and interact with her, you are entered to win beauty supplies, clothes, or money just for supporting her. While Adelaine Morin might not have the biggest social capital as other influencers, the ability she had to gain it over multiple years establishing trust with her audience is very impressive.
