Reading, Writing, Relationships: The Impact of Social Network Sites on Relationships and Well-Being Moira Burke 10.1184/R1/6721256.v1 https://kilthub.cmu.edu/articles/thesis/Reading_Writing_Relationships_The_Impact_of_Social_Network_Sites_on_Relationships_and_Well-Being/6721256 <p>The social web has emerged concurrent with a decline in Americans' community involvement and number of close friendships. Hundreds of millions of people connect online, but they appear to have fewer confidants and trust each other less. However, contrasting research finds that web users have better social integration and stronger relationships than their offline counterparts. This thesis resolves these contradictory views through a detailed examination of social network site (SNS) use and changes in relationships and individual well-being.</p> <p>The research is conducted at multiple levels looking at how different types of SNS use—direct interaction with others and more “passive consumption” of social news—influence the number and quality of individuals’ social ties and their aggregate social capital and well-being, including perceived social support, happiness, and physical health. The studies combine objective measures of SNS use (communication activity from the server logs of a popular social networking site) with self-reports of tie strength and well-being to accurately differentiate types of use with different partners. Longitudinal methods reveal how well-being changes over time with SNS use and are moderated by personal characteristics such as social communication skill and recent job loss.</p> 2011-12-28 00:00:00 Social network sites social networking sites online social networks Facebook social support bridging social capital happiness satisfaction with life loneliness depression positive affect negative affect stress health well-being tie strength closeness relationships network composition social communication skill unemployment job loss computer-mediated communication human-computer interaction computer-supported cooperative work.