Doctoral School of Sociology announces publication of the article ”I Hear You: Effects of Voice Communication on the Social Capital of Gamers” in Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations (Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index) authored by PhD. student Cosmin Ghețău and Assoc. prof. Mihai-Bogdan Iovu, PhD. 

The research deals with bonding and bridging social capital among gamers (seen as individuals who spend at least an hour a day in games) who might use (or not) voice communication while playing. One of the working hypothesis of this study was that voice communication usage facilitates the social capital formation. The researchers also investigated the role of perceived anonymity as a confounding variable. To test these hypothesis, a quantitative research was carried out focusing on the subsequent elements: voice application usage; perceived anonymity and the presence of the following forms of social capital: bonding social capital and bridging social capital. Data collection was based on surveys spread in the online environment and resulting in a sample of 102 respondents.

Based on quasi-experimental design, the obtained data displayed higher mean scores on bonding and bridging social capital scales on the experiment group (voice communication users) than in the control group (non-voice communication users). Also, the control group obtained lower score on the perceived anonymity scale. One explanation for the results could be that voice communication reduces perceived anonymity and individuals that consider themselves as having a low level of anonymity engage in more controlled behaviors facilitating the formation of social capital.

The full article can be read using the following link: https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/325/310