Although Social Networking Sites (SNS) offer numerous affordances in displacing the barriers of time and space for empowering rural citizens to maintain and increase their social capital, the degree to which these affordances diminish the relative significance of face to face and mediated communication is unclear. This paper examines the impact of SNS on Relationship Maintenance (RM) of social capital (SC) using a novel mixed method design, applied to a representative survey sample of a rural Irish community, followed by a sub-sample for in-depth interview. Findings illustrate that despite widespread adoption of SNS, the role and importance of SNS for RM of SC still pale in comparison to Face to Face & other media. We discuss our findings in relation to affordance theories of Computer Mediated Communication, highlighting factors such as Instrumental Awareness, altruistic behaviors, and socio-cultural contextual factors impacting appropriation and use value of SNS.