Enhancing or Compensating? Role of On- and Offline Social Capital and Technological Self-Efficacy on Subjective Well-Being among Immigrants and Natives

The ability and self-efficacy to utilize the internet and technological devices has become critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. By examining the role of on- and offline social capital as a moderator in the relationship between technological self-efficacy (TSE) and subjective well-being, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of whether the social compensation or social enhancement hypotheses explain the well-being of immigrants in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from the 2020 Digital Divide Survey of immigrants (<i>n</i> = 700) and native-born Koreans (<i>n</i> = 6,910) aged ≥18 years. In the ordinary least squares regression model, subjective well-being (SWB) was the dependent variable and TSE was the independent variable. Online social capital, including bonding and bridging, was the moderating variable. Moreover, we tested the moderated moderation of nativity and on- and offline social capital. The results showed that bonding and bridging on- and offline social capital played a positive role in the SWB of both immigrants and native-born Koreans; bridging played a greater role among immigrants than among native-born Koreans. Furthermore, the interaction between TSE and online bonding social capital has a stronger association with the SWB of immigrants, as supported by the moderated moderation model. In line with the social enhancement hypothesis, immigrants with more online bonding social capital showed a stronger positive association between TSE and subjective well-being. Our results suggest that culturally adapted technological education for immigrants can be tailored to meet their unique needs and experiences.