How dormant ties are reactivated through social media during major life events

Abstract

Dormant ties comprise a significant portion of our social networks, carrying latent yet inactive social capital. In the era of social media, reactivating dormant ties becomes more convenient during major life events, offering crucial informational and emotional support in times of uncertainty or emergencies. However, little is known about who is more likely to reactivate dormant ties, which types of networks facilitate such reactivation, and how these ties evolve after trigger events in the digital age. Based on the social media records of a nationally representative sample of a Generation Z cohort in China spanning three whole years, which comprises approximately 2.1 million online posts and interactions, we show large-scale evidence on the reactivation of dormant ties during major life events. Our findings indicate that during life transitions or events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, dormant ties are more likely to be reactivated around central nodes in the network, further enhancing their centrality. However, this polarisation trend is mitigated in networks with higher density, where the reactivation of dormant ties is more evenly distributed. In addition, following trigger events, interactions with reactivated contacts tend to decline but remain active for at least six months on social media. Overall, this study deepens our understanding of how social media facilitates the mobilisation of latent social capital in navigating major life events.