Impact of Social Networking on Friendships, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Adolescents and young adults have increasingly used online social networking in order to maintain friendships. The popularity of these websites is evident on college campuses, as over ninety percent of college students have an active Facebook account. Such trends continue to increase annually. As online social networking becomes more prevalent in an increasingly interconnected digital world, psychologists and medical experts have increasingly grown concerned about how online communications impacts the social development of adolescents and young adults. Indeed, adolescence and young adulthood represent the most crucial time in an individual’s maturation process when social development takes place. These skills gain importance as a youth transitions into adulthood because they form the backbone of emotional balance and support (Audesirk & Audesirk, 1999). A review of the literature underscores two primary concerns regarding who is utilizing social networking as the primary avenue of socializing and communication as well as what are the nature of the relationships forged vis-a-vis social networking sites, especially amongst adolescent and young adults. While some data suggests that socially capable youths utilize the internet and social networking sites to forge and maintain social relationships and connect to new groups of people, other research bolsters a social compensation argument in which youths who are generally socially inept turn to social networking to forge new friendships and self-disclose because they are too introverted and shy to do so face-to-face. In addition, research suggests that youths also turn to social networking on the internet in order to sustain existing social relationships  and construct imagined communities. The question remains whether or not online social networks are providing a new outlet for adolescents and young adults to create social relationships–traditionally a primary concern for individuals during that stage in their lives–or if the social distance and relative anonymity provided by the internet adversely impacts the social development of youths who no longer need to cultivate social skills face-to-face.

Literature review

Psychologists and other researchers are currently interested in better understanding the nature of relationships forged online through social networking and the types of people who use social networking sites for the purpose of social interaction. The debate persists over whether web-based communication is employed more by those who lack social skills and tact or whether those who are socially competent seek more social interactions through interfaces. One camp of scholars argues that youths who are more socially competent use social networking sites to amplify their social interactions. These scholars buy into the “rich get richer” postulation in which they claim that extraverted youths who are already members of established, social peer groups turn to the networking websites so that they can engage i additional interaction with their peers. Doing so reinforces the friendships that they have already forged face-to-face in addition to facilitating efforts to stay in touch with long-distance friends. A second camp posits that socially inept youths and young adults engage in online social networking because of the anonymity it provides, thereby granting them a suitable platform for them to engage in self-disclosure. As such, shy introverts are able to forge friendships in an environment that they are comfortable with because they are not comfortable establishing such friendships face-to-face. This camp of scholars buys into the social compensation hypothesis. Much debate persists in public discourses regarding young people’s motivation to engage in social networking because of the overwhelming support for the social compensation hypothesis. Further research is needed to build on the existing research to better understand online behaviors and the role of external factors on social interaction.

Sheldon(2008) carried out a study in which she examined the motivations of students for both creating and sustaining a Facebook profile. Furthermore, she assessed the relationship between the usage of Facebook and the student’s unwillingness to communicate in order to ascertain why students used facebook, whether or not those who disliked communicating with others in person possessed different motivations for using Facebook than those who enjoy face-to-face communication, and if a student’s desire to not communicate could effectively forecast a students attitude towards social networking online and their associated behaviors.  The author conducted a survey of a hundred and seventy two students who attended a large university who all completed a questionnaire  inquiring about their demographics, motivations for having a Facebook profile, their desire or lack thereof to communicate, their attitude towards online social networking, and the amount of time they spend using Facebook for the purpose of social connection. Sheldon (2008) concluded that maintaining relationships and boredom were the primary motivations for students to use their Facebook. Students who reported feeling anxiety or shyness about face-to-face communication  used Facebook to feel connected to others and feel less lonely in addition to passing the time. However, these students did not believe that online social networks would result in them forging new friendships. In addition, students who disengaged in face-to-face social interaction logged onto Facebook more frequently but had less friends than those who were socially adept.  As such, this study concludes that those who are more socially fit use Facebook to sustain long-distance relationships and to reinforce friendships at the local level.

Allen et al. (2010) examine whether or not youths who participate actively in social networking sites are more socially adjusted within their respective communities. In addition, the authors analyzed how adult communication was impacted by online social networking. To conduct this study, the authors chose a sample of one hundred and seventy two participants to which a longitudinal study was administered. Various adolescents were surveyed and interviewed regarding their sociometric status amongst their peers, any depression symptoms, and negative and positive peer interaction. In addition, the parents of these preteens were also given a survey about any deviant behaviors they perceived their children engaging in. Once the participants became young adults, the researchers were granted access to their Facebook pages if they had an active account. The authors then coded the various Facebook pages for inappropriate photos, connection with friends, quantity of friends, any hostile sentiments within the biographical section, and any display of support by friends on photos or on wall postings. They then administered a survey to ninety two young adult subjects regarding any symptoms of depression and the quality of their friendships. Friends of the participants were then asked to full out a checklist regarding their friend’s behaviors. Multiple regression was performed on each variable, which led the authors to conclude that preteens who exhibited negative sentiments within their friendships on the social network profiles and who reported that they suffered from various symptoms linked to depression were less likely to actively use Facebook or any other online social network. Adolescents who reported to have healthier, beneficial social relationships with others tended to use Facebook more frequently. As such, this study also supports the theory that socially adjusted youths use online social networks more frequently.

Finckelhor et al. (2002) conducted a study n the intimacy of adolescent relationships forged online and attempted to describe the types of relationships forged through the internet and how many were reported. The authors used a sample of youths from across the nation of 1,501 individuals and conducted phone interviews with the participants after parental consent was procured. The authors asked the participants questions about their close online friendships, the safety of the internet, romantic relationships online, casual online relationships, and whether or not they have met or are willing to meet others they have met online in person. Various frequencies were conducted on the presented variables, which yield information that over 50% of the participants surveyed has engaged in some form of communication on the internet for the purpose of interacting with others they had never met in person. Results show that the relationships forged online were very casual, transient, and shallow. As such, this study contributes to the social deficit theory in which socially incompetent youths use the internet to form relationships because of an inability to do so in person.

Future Research

There is a large corpus of research on the motives for youths to engage in social networking. A more nuanced understanding of this issue would be proffered if scholars isolated certain factors, such as race, gender, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation, so see whether or not these factors play a role in social networking behaviors. The current research treats social networking patterns and behaviors without respect to various idiosyncrasies that may or may not propel certain individuals to engage in such behaviors online for the purpose of social connection with others.

References

Allen, J.P., Evans, M.A., Hare, A.L., & Mikami, A.Y. (2010). Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites.    Developmental Psychology, 46(1), 46-56.

Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Biology: Life on earth (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K., & Wolak, J. (2002). Close online relationships in a national survey of adolescents. Adolescence, 37(147), 441-445

Sheldon, P. (2008). The relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and students’ Facebook use. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(2), 67-75.

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