{"id":105005,"date":"2025-11-03T16:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=105005"},"modified":"2025-11-03T16:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T16:00:52","slug":"sharing-good-deeds-online-boosts-trust-and-connection-uri-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/sharing-good-deeds-online-boosts-trust-and-connection-uri-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing good deeds online boosts trust and connection, 溏心vlog免费B站 study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Nov. 3, 2025 \u2013 Social media has become such a force that it has become rare to speak with someone without a Facebook, X or even a LinkedIn presence. Scrolling through a timeline on any social media platform will bring up a slew of content. Often leading individuals to form opinions about others based on something they have shared, liked, or reposted. This dynamic raises an important question: Can posting about good deeds online improve how others perceive you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer, according to Jiayuan (Jay) Zhang, who earned his Ph.D. in 2021 from 溏心vlog免费B站 and is currently working at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater as an Assistant professor, is yes. Alongside 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Business<\/a> faculty members Professors Koray \u00d6zpolat<\/a>, Dara Schniederjans<\/a>, and former 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty member Gulver Karamemis, Zhang explored how sharing altruistic actions online influences social capital\u2014 the trust, credibility, and connections people build within their digital networks.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Koray \u00d6zpolat (left) and Jay Zhang (Right), found that posting about good deeds online can significantly strengthen a person\u2019s digital reputation. (溏心vlog免费B站 photo\/Koray \u00d6zpolat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about posts on topics such as making a donation to charity or volunteering your time to help others,\u201d said Zhang. \u201cIn our research, prosocial behavior refers to any action that benefits others at some cost to oneself, all within the broader scope of societal sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their study, To Disclose or Not: The Impact of Prosocial Behavior Disclosure on the Attainment of Social Capital on Social Networking Sites<\/em><\/a>, was recently published in the esteemed academic  journal Decision Support Systems<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings reveal that posting about good deeds online can significantly strengthen a person\u2019s digital reputation. Sharing prosocial behavior not only makes someone appear more trustworthy but also encourages others to connect with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cContrary to the ancient wisdom of keeping good deeds private, we found that in the social media era it actually helps to share them publicly,\u201d said \u00d6zpolat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To test the impact, Zhang created a mock Facebook page and analyzed how users responded to different types of content. The results showed a clear boost in social capital when altruistic actions were posted, with participants more likely to engage, follow, or trust the person sharing. Interviews with more than 125 people confirmed the effect, with most respondents rating posts about good deeds as a positive influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers also discovered that the impact grows when others amplify the message. \u201cWhen a person\u2019s good deed is shared on someone else\u2019s social media account, it further increases the social capital of the person who did the good deed,\u201d Zhang explained. \u201cThat can translate into more followers, more trust, and stronger connections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond individuals, these insights offer opportunities for businesses and nonprofits. Charities may attract more donors, while companies can enhance their image and engagement by showcasing employees\u2019 community service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt helps organizations highlight their corporate social responsibility and show that employees are truly committed to making a difference. We are proud of the work of our Supply Chain Management doctoral<\/a> alumnus, Dr. Zhang, whose research is supporting the idea of business for a better world,\u201d said \u00d6zpolat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when social media often faces criticism for fueling negativity, this research points to another possibility: digital platforms as a tool for spreading trust, credibility, and social good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Nov. 3, 2025 \u2013 Social media has become such a force that it has become rare to speak with someone without a Facebook, X or even a LinkedIn presence. Scrolling through a timeline on any social media platform will bring up a slew of content. Often leading individuals to form opinions about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":105006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[88,1905],"class_list":["post-105005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-business","tag-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105005"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105009,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105005\/revisions\/105009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}