As I’m preparing for my dissertation on social networking sites and their effects on high school students, I’m coming across many interesting new research studies. A particularly nice one is by Steinfield, Ellison, & Lampe (citation below). In their study they surveyed college students who use Facebook at two points in time… and they found that higher usage of Facebook was correlated to higher levels of social capital. What’s more is that students who were lower in self esteem had higher levels of social capital after using Facebook….

The study suggests that using social networking sites like Facebook might in fact help us build relationships, albeit bridging relationships that are good for information and advice (versus deep friendships and social support). But this is a good thing for students right? Having a wider social network from which to get information….

Citation:

Steinfield, C., Ellison, N. B., & Lampe, C. (2008). Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 20, 434-445.