Major
Communication Studies
Research Abstract
With the Internet growing faster than ever, online social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook are becoming more popular. At last count, there were over 845 million active Facebook users who are interacting online. The continued influx of computer technology allows for newer means of communication in order to foster interpersonal relationships and promote self-disclosure (Ledbetter, Mazer, Degroot et al., 2011); they are necessary in order for online interactions to occur and friendships to be maintained. These modern tools, however, can also be a factor in hindering interpersonal relationships. The current study aimed to understand how the frequency of making disclosures using social networking sites impacted online communication and social support. Participants included 60 randomly chosen Facebook profiles from the primary researcher’s Facebook friends. The number of emotional posts each individual made and the responses to those emotional posts were recorded for a period of one month. Results suggest that there is a positive relationship between the number of posts (emotional and non-emotional) and the number of responses to those posts (emotional and non-emotional). Additionally, when comparing high, moderate, and low emotional posters, an ANOVA test indicated that high emotional disclosers received the most responses from members of their social networking site. The importance of this research and its implications on interpersonal communication are discussed.
Faculty Mentor/Advisor
Allison Thorson
Course
Social Support in CMC, Professor Thorson
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons
Disclosing Personal Information on Social Networking Sites and Social Support
With the Internet growing faster than ever, online social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook are becoming more popular. At last count, there were over 845 million active Facebook users who are interacting online. The continued influx of computer technology allows for newer means of communication in order to foster interpersonal relationships and promote self-disclosure (Ledbetter, Mazer, Degroot et al., 2011); they are necessary in order for online interactions to occur and friendships to be maintained. These modern tools, however, can also be a factor in hindering interpersonal relationships. The current study aimed to understand how the frequency of making disclosures using social networking sites impacted online communication and social support. Participants included 60 randomly chosen Facebook profiles from the primary researcher’s Facebook friends. The number of emotional posts each individual made and the responses to those emotional posts were recorded for a period of one month. Results suggest that there is a positive relationship between the number of posts (emotional and non-emotional) and the number of responses to those posts (emotional and non-emotional). Additionally, when comparing high, moderate, and low emotional posters, an ANOVA test indicated that high emotional disclosers received the most responses from members of their social networking site. The importance of this research and its implications on interpersonal communication are discussed.
