Research
The Pew Internet Project seeks to determine how the internet effects American life. Their studies on social networking cover many topics. One study found that social network users' decrease in community involvement because their need is replaced by their online community, but that the people with whom they interact are more diverse than non-users'.
This article, Social Networking, Muslim Style (full text available via Gale databases) details how members of religious groups have started creating targeted social networking sites. MoslemSpace, for example, boot users who do not follow the Muslim rules of conduct, for instance posting revealing photos or using bad language. Many users like the site because they know they are surrounded by people who share their faith and values, fulfilling the human need for homophilic relationships. Other sites like MyPraize.com, a Christian social networking site, and the Jewish Shmooze.com (hosted by the social network hosting site ning.com, which hosts thousands of group networking sites) have similar founding principles. Users feel comfortable on these sites and know that the connections they make share their religion, giving a starting base to friendship.
This article, Social Networking, Muslim Style (full text available via Gale databases) details how members of religious groups have started creating targeted social networking sites. MoslemSpace, for example, boot users who do not follow the Muslim rules of conduct, for instance posting revealing photos or using bad language. Many users like the site because they know they are surrounded by people who share their faith and values, fulfilling the human need for homophilic relationships. Other sites like MyPraize.com, a Christian social networking site, and the Jewish Shmooze.com (hosted by the social network hosting site ning.com, which hosts thousands of group networking sites) have similar founding principles. Users feel comfortable on these sites and know that the connections they make share their religion, giving a starting base to friendship.
"The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students; Use of Online Social Network Sites" specifically analyzes Facebook use by students at Michigan State. While the study is a couple years old, it nevertheless provides interesting insights into the effects and driving needs of Facebook. By increasing their network base, users increase their social capital which can positively influence psychological well-being. Students connected with Facebook had higher self-esteem levels, especially shier students compared to non-using shy students. As my own survey concluded, most students use Facebook to keep n contact with old friends, as well as cement real life social relationships while only a few used it to meet new people. The majority of these students, because they are able to keep up with old high school friends via Facebook, claimed they would be able to stay with an old high school acquaintance, organize a high school reunion easily, or ask a high school friend to do a small favor. While this data only pertains to college students' use of Facebook, it provides insights into the changing social relationships of modern college students. It seems that going off to college no longer means leaving your home life behind.
The New York Times article "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy" discusses the change in friendship and our relationships to our online connections. Discussing both Facebook and Twitter it is shown that the number of people we remain in contact with has increased because of social networking. Now, people are more connected and while they may not directly contact all of these online friends, there is an ambient awareness of their existence from the occasional status updates that can be easily scanned, so that friends are never quite out of mind.
