How does social networking reduce loneliness for older adults?

The use of social networking sites (SNS) is widespread. Older adults, who are more likely to be lonely in comparison with the rest of the population, lag in their SNS adoption compared with others. We hypothesize that SNS can be used to reduce loneliness as these increase an individual’s social connections. This work-in-progress research uses Social Capital to bridge the knowledge gap of how the use of SNS may reduce loneliness for older adults.