Self-disclosure on social networking sites, positive feedback, and social capital among Chinese college students

•Self-disclosure on SNS directly affects bridging capital.•Self-disclosure on SNS indirectly affects bonding capital with positive feedback.•The socially skilled tend to disclose more, get more positive feedback and capital.•Gender differences were not significant.

Drawing on social capital theory, this study examined whether college students’ self-disclosure on a social networking site was directly associated with social capital, or related indirectly through the degree of positive feedback students got from Internet friends. Structural equation models applied to anonymous, self-report survey data from 264 first-year students at 3 universities in Beijing, China, indicated direct effects on bridging social capital and indirect effects on bonding social capital. Effects remained significant, though modest in magnitude, after controlling for social skills level. Findings suggest ways in which social networking sites can foster social adjustment as an adolescent transition to residential college environments.