Sustainability of Digital Capital and Social Support during COVID-19: Indonesian Muslim Diaspora’s Case in South Korea

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital capital and online activities have played significant roles as a tool for enhancing social support. Considering the increased role of information communication technology (ICT), in this study, we investigated the following research questions by focusing on the Indonesian Muslim diaspora in South Korea. To what extent do digital capital and online communities affect the formation of social support in the pandemic situation? How does the Indonesian Muslim diaspora pursue social support in South Korea, which has a high capacity for ICT infrastructure? We used the technology acceptance model (TAM) for the conceptual model and conducted semi-structured interviews and surveys for data collection. Structural equation modeling demonstrates that TAM can be applied in the case of South Korea’s Indonesian Muslim diaspora, especially during the pandemic. Findings suggest that digital capital and the perceived usefulness/perceived ease of use (PU/PEOU) of online communities reinforced the Indonesian Muslim diaspora’s participation in online communities after COVID-19. It also demonstrates the ways in which the Indonesian Muslim diaspora pursues social support through online communities under restricted situations.

Beyond Cultural Instrumentality: Exploring the Concept of Total Diaspora Cultural Capital for Sustainability

“…Granovetter's [66] notions of relational and structural embeddedness are useful in this discussion. Granovetter [66] and Shin, Seo and Lew [67] see relational embeddedness in relation to social actors' engagement with personal relationships, while structural embeddedness is viewed from the perspective of the diaspora's involvement with wider socio-cultural networks. However, our concept of total diaspora cultural capital transcends personal relationships and social networks to involve more dynamic exchange (what we termed cultural appropriation).…”

“…In total diaspora cultural capital, we speak of collaboration and, more profoundly, of complicity. These latter terms imply deeper embrace between and within ethnic communities [67]. It is not sufficient for one to adapt to another, which will signify compromise or not genuinely recognising the value of the other cultures to coexistence and cultural productivity.…”