Social infrastructure, community organizations, and friendship formation: a scoping review

Abstract

Abstract Community organizations are a unique part of the local social infrastructure that provides opportunities for social connections and community building. This contribution has been established in research on social capital and the research on social networks. Little research has looked specifically at the processes that lead to forming new relationships within community organizations. In this paper, we address this gap by looking specifically at the situational dynamics at community organizations that contribute to making new friends. We approach this question by conducting a scoping review, a systematic approach to research search and selection when conducting reviews. Our review identified 37 relevant pieces of research. The majority of the research we identify comes from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. We discuss three themes addressing situational dynamics that emerged in the analysis: (1) the importance of structured programs and activities as prompts for connection, (2) creating spaces for informal interactions, and (3) emerging mutuality based on similarities and differences. We conclude with suggestions for how community organizations purposefully create these situational dynamics in their work.