Saturday, May 23, 2009

Facebook.relationships

Facebook.relationships

A research article for Anthropology 128C: Cyberspace, Power, and Culture

Introduction 2-3
(The Abstract. AEMEA formation, research background, data methods)
Broad Relationships 3-5
(presented by Ms. Ej Cruz)
Professional Relationships 5-7
(presented by Mr. Emmanuel Arreola)
Friendships 7-8
(presented by Ms. Avi Jayasekara)
Family Relationships 8-10
(presented by Mr. Anton Sisante)
Romantic Relationships 10-12
(presented by Ms. Melissa Obregon)
Citations 13
Data 14-24
(some of the ethnographic data attached)

INTRODUCTION

Unlike the days of the telegraph, as described in The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage, Facebook allows a means of extension to the individual’s network so that it spans out to far regions of the world. With the telegraph, individuals were only able to express their communication through beeps, dots, and dashes1. The relationships that stemmed between individuals during these days were only familial, professional, or romantic. There wasn’t much room to expand to a network of relationships. Now that we have Facebook, individuals have the ability to network with people on the other side of the world using many different forms of communication, and create a vast array of relationships.
Facebook is an online social-networking medium developed by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates in 20042. These people made it possible for internet-users from any part of the world to rekindle and connect with old friends and/or family, find love/continue love through an online medium, get a fresh update on a co-worker, or randomly meet people in and/or out of a network. The user of Facebook is represented through a user profile and the individual may choose to “add a friend” from anywhere they wish on Facebook…so long as the other individual accepts the friend request. This commutation is of great importance; because of this distinctive feature, individuals now have a mode of classification as to what type of relationship has been developed between one individual to another. In a sense, the “Facebook relationship” has emerged.
The AEMEA group chose to conduct research specifically on these distinguished “Facebook relationships.” The group rigorously researched, conducted work, and theorized upon whether these Facebook relationships contribute to the strengthening or weakening of the relationship because of the usage of the Facebook platform. AEMEA’s strategy to collect data consisted of the utilization of their individual Facebook networks. Interviews were sent to many individuals from their array of Facebook relationships as well as joining groups that have had conducted Facebook research in the past. Personal face-to-face interviews were also sought out. “Survey Monkey” was the model for statistical data, and some members of the group exploited synchronous forms of online communication such as AIM to gather information. A Facebook Group was created between members to share data with one another.
AEMEA decided that Facebook relationships can be sliced into five categories: broad relationships, professional relationships, friendships, family relationships, and romantic relationships. From this point on, it can be understood that the relationships mentioned in this article are part of the observed Facebook platform3. The regional range of the Facebook users that AEMEA observed consisted of networks such as: Orange County, Saddleback College, and UC Irvine. The people observed were between 11 to 60 years of age. We shall start with broad relationships as the first topic, since it is the most general and branches off to more localized relationships.

BROAD RELATIONSHIPS

The AEMEA group based broad relationships upon the following characteristics:
Individuals have no ongoing communication history of friendship
Individuals aren’t particularly self-disclosed with one another, but share a mutual network
Individuals have shared a past friendship, but have lost touch
Individuals may have met once or have never met the other in the corporeal world
There are two ways these broad relationships can be strengthened or weakened. The first way is through a mode of observable preconceptions between the mutual friends. These preconceptions are the public information the individual chooses to disclose to their public, their network of mutual friends. Through this, the mutual friend has the ability to do a “background check” on their broad relationship networks. These observable preconceptions are quantified by the amount of activity the individual spends on Facebook. The most ubiquitous of these preconceptions is the Facebook status updates. The choice of this feature was obtained through the Facebook research group portal4 and a YouTube video called “Facebook Fever,” through a user known as Zippy5. Through this exclusive feature, the mutual friend can view preliminary sketches of their broad relationships and form an implicit bias in the broad relationship.
The status updates feature on Facebook are simple sentence boxes where users constantly express their thoughts or what they’re feeling to their public at a certain point in time. The AEMEA group researched the effects of status updates on broad relationships. An interview that was conducted by one AEMEA member through AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) group chat questioned three of their friends who used Facebook often and kept a numerous network of broad relationships. The three individuals had a total of at least fifty added friends to their account. They expressed mixed emotions when asked about status updates. “Some [status updates] end up being funny, so funny that I laugh my pants off… but most of the time—these people’s updates are all about fml, fml, FML!6 It just gets played out, I don’t need to know if your life sucks. Tell me something I don’t know already, like…who’s your new boo!7”
These findings show the impact an individual can create without initially speaking with their mutual friend beforehand. When the mutual friend updates their status, mutual peers can become turned off with their personality just by reading the sentence box. This is especially true when the individual updates their status in a negative notion. One of the three peers who were interviewed on AIM group chat added, “You really get a feel of what the person is like through their status updates. From the news feed, I’ve received status updates every hour by one person updating things like ‘text me,’ ‘I’m bored,’ ‘who wants to hang out tonight,’ My reaction?...l0ner!8” The mutual friend who views these status updates internalizes an etic perspective about their mutual friend due to these Facebook status updates. What is fascinating about the status updates feature is the underlying biases that can lead to the strengthening or weakening of the relationship before actual interaction!
The second way a broad relationship can determine strength or weakness is through the asynchronous communication features between mutual friends on Facebook. Data was derived from Facebook groups that had already done Facebook research in the past through questionnaires and surveys. AEMEA found that the most common type of communication used in Facebook was the wall post.
Wall posts are sentence boxes that enable the mutual friend to write a message to the other while it is viewable to the public. Through wall posts, individuals that share a broad relationship can write a quick, “hello” to each other. Eighty percent of the interviewees from a Facebook note questionnaire have stated that their relationship with a mutual friend had strengthened through the continuous use of the wall post. They also informed AEMEA that although they had initial preconceptions about their mutual friend, it was the actual interaction that declared a strong or weak relationship. Sometimes, with frequent asynchronous communications, the broad relationship can be developed further if mutual attraction is present. As stated in Mimi Ito’s article, ­Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Finding from the Digital Youth Project, these little hellos and emoticons can escalate into further relationships such as romantic relationships or close friendships 9. The remaining twenty percent suggested that Facebook neither strengthened nor weakened their relationship but acted as a supplement to their broad relationship. These twenty percent of users shied away from disclosing too much information on Facebook’s public portal. Users stated that they’d either use the Facebook platform for their mutual network if they had a question about school or if they were also going to an event that will be attended by their same network of peers. Facebook users asserted that the only way they would be bothered by their mutual friends on Facebook is if they constantly kept posting messages onto their wall and replied on the features through their Facebook even when they wouldn’t respond back. A Facebook user coined the term, “Facebook creeper,” for these types of friends.
AEMEA was able to define how to strengthen, weaken or keep a neutral basis between mutual friends on Facebook. We find that it is through observable preconceptions and asynchronous interaction. We will now move onto a more defined relationship on Facebook: Professionalism.

PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

An interesting aspect of the social networking site known as Facebook has been its ability to attract users from different social networks and settings. Interestingly enough, it has found its way into the workplace as mode of communication between co-workers and supervisors. As stated in the Facebook’s press release, “Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers”11. In regards to this statement, the AEMEA group questioned how has Facebook improved or strengthened the working relationship of others? Or has it had the very opposite effect and instead has negatively impacted these relationships?
AEMEA conducted personal interviews consisting of two past co-workers, a current co-worker, and a past and current supervisor of one of AEMEA’s group members. Each interviewee was “friends” on Facebook with their co-workers and supervisors. In discussing whether or not Facebook had improved the way they communicated and interacted, all had the general consensus that Facebook had a positive but not significant impact on their working relationship.
As Interviewer A stated, “it’s nice knowing and keeping in touch with what is going on in their personal lives, but I don’t think it changes our working relationship at all.” Interviewer D went further on to say that “what goes on in people’s personal lives online (i.e. status updates, wall posts, picture albums, etc.) really never becomes a topic of conversation at work.” When interviewing person C, interviewer C commented that Facebook “in my opinion, helps the working relationship because it’s another way to connect personally outside of the workplace.” In hindsight, there was a general conclusion that Facebook was positive on working relationships as it provided a venue into personal lives but all of them agreed that it did not significantly change the work setting. As Interviewer B elaborated, “it’s just nice seeing another side to my supervisor outside of work.”
An aspect where Facebook has had an impact on professional working relationships is the topic of privacy. How does ambient awareness and privacy affect the professional relationships in the work environment? It was interesting to note that though the interviewees appreciated the fact that they were able to communicate on another level through Facebook, many chose not to. As suggested by the data from the surveys, 75% of them agreed that a working relationship on Facebook differed significantly from other social networks seen. Respondent 1 commented further that “I’m not as active on my supervisor and co-workers profile as I am with my other friends where I comment on photos, make wall posts, etc.” An interesting note from the data collected was that 83% of those that agreed that working relationships on Facebook differed from other social networks also agreed that privacy was the major reason why. Respondent 4 said that “it’s awkward being friends with your boss on Facebook because you don’t know how it will affect your job.” The data collected and answers showed that while having access to one’s profile was one way to connect on a personal level outside of work, it did not significantly improve or weaken the working relationship.
So with this ambient awareness of co-workers and supervisors and the risk of no privacy, I posed the question to my survey respondents and interviewees: does having a working relationship on Facebook prove to be beneficial? The general consensus from my interviewees responded yes and surprisingly so did my survey respondents. Ambient awareness was found to be a positive outcome from Facebook because it helped gain a better understanding of those at the work place. Interviewer E provided more insight as she commented that “I understand why people are having bad days at the office or why they looked so stressed; Facebook sometimes helps me know how to act around them.” This comment is reminiscent of the Clive Thompson article in which he described ambient awareness as having an “omnipresent knowledge.12”
Though many of the interviewees agreed that Facebook has had no significant impact, the benefit of ambient awareness has had positive effect on the relationships seen at work. Thus, with data collected, Facebook has indeed helped improve the communication in the work environment as suggested by its press release statement.

FRIENDSHIP

While both broad and professional relationships have been affected through Facebook, a more personal relationship that has been impacted both negatively and positively is friendships. It is clear that as a social networking site, Facebook has opened many new avenues for new friendships to form and foster. Merriam-Webster defines a friend as “one attached to another by affection or esteem13”. With this definition of a friend, Facebook opened up a new world of opportunities for people to keep in touch with friends and make new ones. However, with all these changes and ways to make new friends, how has Facebook changed the way that we, as a society, interact with our pre-existing friends? Has our communication with these friends deteriorated or strengthened through Facebook?
AEMEA questioned interviewees if they felt facebook made a difference in the way their friendships are viewed. All 4 responded yes, they did in fact feel as if facebook had made a difference in this. One interviewee responded, “I have a broader definition of the term friends. Without Facebook I probably would only consistently speak with my family and one or two people on occasion. With Facebook I speak to people the same sparse amount but with a much larger base so it seems like a lot more. Basically Facebook allows me to have the ideal friend spread out through many people”14. From Survey Monkey, 70% of the respondents felt that Facebook had changed their relationships with their friends.
However, when AEMEA changed the question slightly and questioned interviewees as to whether Facebook has strengthened their friendships, only 40% said yes, 50% said sometimes, and the other 10% said no. One survey respondent says “If anything, I think that Facebook has weakened relationships. Sometimes it feels as though you reply to wall posts or messages simply to reciprocate, as if it were to ensure equal exchange rather than a message with an inherent purpose”15. Another suggests, “I am not naturally outgoing, so I do not keep friends that easily. Facebook allows me to keep in touch with people without all of the hassle that a phone or face-to-face conversation would require”16. In one of our class readings the authors suggest that “online social networking systems can help individuals to maintain a larger number of close ties than people can typically maintain without such technology, as the systems allow people to check one another’s sites for updates, reflect new activities, as well as to facilitate brief verbal exchanges through asynchronous wall postings”17. The ability to communicate so easily has both positive and negative outcomes. Like the author says its more than typically possible, so one has to think when does this kind of communication become too much.
AEMEA questioned Facebook users whether or not they preferred Facebook communication over physical gatherings and telecommunication devices. 40% of the respondents said yes, 50% said sometimes, while only 10% said no. From these findings, it is clear that Facebook has made face to face interactions a rare occasion. Interviewees responded “Phone calls and personal meetings in general are becoming obsolete in this generation, as there are many passive ways of communicating nowadays”18. When AEMEA surveyed the Facebook users as to whether they think this bothers their friends, 80% responded ’no,’ they do not tell me that they do it just as often, and so they probably prefer it [Facebook communication] themselves.”
While communication between friends is rising, face to face communication is falling dramatically. Staying in touch has become easier, but only through the words that appear on the computer screen. The survey respondents do not seem to feel, that this is a deterioration of their friendships; rather, they express that Facebook has created avenues for some to express themselves more due to shyness, personality trails or time constraints in real life. One respondent commented, “Asian's are not that open. They're very insecure. They will be much more comfortable when they don't see the face of the person”19. This ability to express themselves more openly crosses into other relationships, such as those with family, as will be further explained.

FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS

The easy accessibility of Facebook allows users an alternative approach to keeping in touch with family. In particular, there appears to be a significant increase in the amount of kinships maintaining interfamilial connections through Facebook. This has been revolutionizing the way communication between family members is established to build potentially stronger relationships.
To demonstrate this, one of AEMEA’s group members obtained opinions on the idea of familial relationships on Facebook from several family members within his own kinship and compared this to the consensus held by a group of Facebook users who are not part of his own lineage. Using the participant-observation method, the AEMEA member was able to conduct seven open-ended interviews with various family members who have profiles on Facebook. Such members ranged from those that he regularly keeps in contact with to those that he has never even met in person. The open-ended questions were created on a Facebook Note that tagged 25 family members whose ages ranged anywhere from 14 to 68. Answers from this sample group represent this age range. Since the type and strength of familial bond he shared among those of interviewed family members on Facebook greatly varied, the information obtained can be used as a model for one type of kinship found in Facebook. For future reference, all family members cited will be given aliases to protect their identities.
For Facebook users that did not belong to his family, a survey was posted on a note that everyone within his Facebook networks would be able to view and access. The survey listed the same questions sent to family members albeit with pre-determined answer choices that survey takers would chose from. From this data, 16 anonymous surveys were collected whose collective answers represent a random population.
When asked whether Facebook was a useful tool in improving relationships between family members, 84% of his familial respondents believed that Facebook has generally strengthened such relationships. The other 16% believed that no significant change occurred between their relationships. Among those that felt Facebook has improved relations cite that the website acts as a convenient medium to keep in touch with family overseas. In particular, one family member, Teresa, explains that with Facebook, “You don’t have to pay for long-distance phone calls to know what is going on with your family members living far away from you.” Compared to the random group, 93% reported no significant change between them and their own family members while the other 7% reported a significant improvement.
A follow-up question asked whether there were significant communication differences between different networks (friends, family, coworkers, etc.) on Facebook. 84% of the interviewees explained that depending on the family member, communication can either be comparable to that seen among their own friends or conducted more respectfully if directed towards an older member. The remaining 16% felt there was no significant difference in communication between networks. Additionally, every member felt that in general, communication among kin did not differ between cyberspaces and physically in person. Similarly, 70% of survey participants thought communication among family members compared to other networks depended upon both age and closeness to that family member. On the other hand, 30% cited there is less intimacy with family members on Facebook compared to friends on other networks.
Another question that was asked considered the effect of ‘ambient awareness’ on familial relationships. Ambient awareness in this context is defined as the information a Facebook user indirectly obtains about another user – i.e. status updates, pictures, notes, etc.20 In this case, 71% of the interviewees as well as the general consensus among survey-takers believed that ambient awareness provides an opportunity to learn more interesting, intimate details about family members that may not have been learned otherwise. However, a couple of family members found the concept of ambient awareness creepy and voyeuristic to a certain extent. One respondent, Roger, reported, “To me ambient awareness is almost like stalking because people get to know everything that’s going on with me!! It’s almost scary.”
Despite this, Facebook is still highly regarded as a useful tool for maintaining and even strengthening familial relationships. 81% of survey respondents claim that the benefits for having family members as ‘Facebook-friends’ outweigh any negatives. Even censorship does not seem to be much of an issue affecting the decision to befriend any particular family member. 100% of family correspondents do not enable privacy restrictions for photos or profile content. Similarly, 50% of the survey takers leave their profile as is, free for any family member to view. Although it seems “young people tend to avoid their parents and other adults while using social network sites”21, such a generational gap seems to be closing as more people are starting to use Facebook to maintain a large multitude of contacts. Given enough time, it would be interesting to see whether having family connections in social networking sites becomes an expected norm. In the meantime, the trend of having romantic relationships on Facebook may even be closer to achieving that social norm.

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Facebook has had a large impact on various facets of our society. Not only has it impacted friendships, familial relationships, and relationships between employees but it has also played a large role in romantic relationships. Some of the roles it has played are enhancing long distance relationships, creating jealousy, and affecting the status of a relationship. The first area that it has impacted is the quality of a relationship. According to the survey, 85% of people in a long distance relationship believed that facebook had a positive influence on their relationship. During an interview, Boyfriend A stated “Facebook has enhanced my relationship with my girlfriend of 2 years and is part of the reason we are still together.” Throughout his interview, he explained that being able to see his girlfriend through pictures she had posted on her Facebook gave him a feeling of closeness. He stated, “I felt like I was able to be there with her through the past year because she would constantly update her photos of events that she had gone to and places she had visited.” In addition, Girlfriend K explained that being away from her boyfriend was made a little easier through Facebook because she was able to make posts throughout the day and see what he was doing during his year away at school through pictures. Overall, Facebook has been able to strengthen long distance relationships by providing another form of communication for individuals through wall posts and picture sharing.
However, not all participants in the survey and interviews agreed with Boyfriend A. Compared to those not in a long distance relationship, 60% believed that it did not enhance their relationship. In addition, 55% reported that Facebook had promoted distrust and jealousy. Girlfriend P explained throughout her interview that she monitored her boyfriend’s Facebook daily and would check what types of comments and private messages he was receiving and from whom he was receiving messages. 45% of females in a relationship accessed their boyfriends’ Facebook account at least twice a month. In addition, there were 15% of individuals in long distance relationships that felt like Facebook did not enhance their relationships. According to Boyfriend T, he felt that Facebook enhanced mistrust between his girlfriend and him. When asked about the effect facebook had on their relationship he stated, “it has made me paranoid and worried…I find myself constantly looking at her page, status changes and pictures to see if there is anything she may be lying about.” He went on to discuss that the distance between them has created problems within the relationship because he is able to see all the pictures that are posted from different parties and he questions some of the pictures where there are other men. Thus, data regarding whether or not facebook has strengthened or weakened romantic relationships reveals that it mostly strengthens long distance relationships and tends to create jealousy and mistrust among romantic relationships that are close in distance.
Facebook has also affected the status of one’s relationship. According to the survey, 62% of individuals reported that their relationship status on their Facebook accounts was changed within 48 hours of becoming an official couple. This reveals that in a way, people view Facebook as making a relationship official. Girlfriend C explained in her interview that her official anniversary with her boyfriend was the day he changed his status on facebook. In addition, 73% of surveyed individuals reported that they changed their profile pictures when they were in fights with their boyfriends and 50% reported changing their relationship status within 48 hours of breaking up. The status one has on Facebook is thus extremely important and defines, in many cases, one’s relationship.
Facebook has also created deception within relationships. According to the survey, 38% of individuals had multiple Facebook accounts. One individual in the interview stated that he had one account for his friends and another for his girlfriend and their mutual friends. Throughout this interview subject M revealed a very in depth scheme that he had going on. At the time of the interview he was in a relationship with two other girls and in order to keep them from finding out about each other he created multiple accounts. In one account he had girlfriend #1 and their mutual friends, and on another account he had girlfriend #2. Each account was set to private which disabled others from viewing their comments. When girlfriend #1 became suspicious he reassured her that nothing was going on and gave her the password to the account he had made specifically for her. Thus when she would check his account she never found anything suspicious because it was all on the other account she did not have access to. Although Facebook has strengthened relationships by creating new forms of communication, it has also increased jealously, distrust and deception within other relationships.

CONCLUSION

While each relationship within facebook has been impacted in its own unique way, it is safe to say that Facebook has had the ability to reach all social spheres. Thus, AEMEA’s findings have shown that relationships on Facebook find a strengthening and/or weakening of their relationship through the extent to which it is used. The Facebook platform can strengthen, weaken or have no significant effect on a relationship. Much of the effect that Facebook has had on relationships depended on the individuals themselves, and how they interacted with one another through facebook. While it is true that new technologies like facebook has opened new paths of communication, in the end it is how we as a society utilize these opportunities that make a difference in current standing of our daily relationships.

Footnotes:

Tom Standage, The Victorian Internet, Preface and Chapters 1–8 (pages vii–144).
Lev Grossman, Why Facebook Is for Old Fogies, Thursday February 12 , 2009. Time. www.time.com.
Consider in the Facebook platform only. Corporeal relationships can be defined in a multitude of ways.
Mutual Friends in this article are not to be mistaken for the “mutual friends in common” feature on Facebook.
Facebook.Com, Groups: “Facebook Status Research!” Stephen Pihlaja.
Christine Gambito, HappySlip, Youtube, January 15, 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV4PNwpqsCc .
“FML” is the equivalence of “fxck my life” or “for my love.”
“Boo” is the equivalence of lover, sweetheart, boyfriend/girlfriend.
“l0ner” is the equivalence of outcast.
Mimi Ito et al, Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project, 2008.
Facebook Press Release. http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet.
Clive Thompson, Brave New World of Digital Intimacy. New York Times, Sept. 7, 2008.
Merriam-Webster.com, Definition for “friend,” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend).
Avi Jayasekara, Personal Interview, AOL Instant Messenger, Chat, (February 27, 2009)
Survey Respondent, Survey Monkey, www.surveymonkey.com, (February 23, 2009
Survey Respondent, Survey Monkey, www.surveymonkey.com, (February 24, 2009)
Stephanie Tom Tong, Brandon Van Der Heide, Lindsey Langwell, Joseph B. Walther, Too Much of a Good Thing? The Relationship Between Number of Friends and Interpersonal Impressions on Facebook. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13(3):531–49, 2008.
Avi Jayasekara, Personal Interview, AOL Instant Messenger, Chat, (February 23, 2009)
Survey Respondent, Survey Monkey, www.surveymonkey.com, (February 27, 2009)
Clive Thompson, Brave New World of Digital Intimacy. New York Times, Sept. 7, 2008.
Mimi Ito et al, Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project, 2008.

Enthnographic Data:

Answers from Facebook Users via Notes Questionnaire: (names have been changed)
Has the social network of facebook strengthen or improved your relationship? Has it weakened it? Give a brief story.2. Are there certain communication differences between how you communicate with the different networks (your relationships between people) you have within facebook? (ie: how do you communicate bff vs. friend vs. coworker vs. family vs. schoolmate)3. How does you communication change from facebook to the way you communicate with them in real world (ie are you more open, closed...)4. How does ambient awareness affect your relationships (ie status updates, pictures, wall posts, notes...)5. Do you have different types of censorship/restrictions for different people and what determines it?6. what kind of communication do you utilize the most within facebook (wall posts, msgs, graffiti, picture comments, status...) and how does that differ from real world?7. How do you feel when people you aren't as acquainted with (mutual friend, distant friend) leave you wall posts, respond to your status, and all forms of communication media on your Facebook? Why do you feel this way?8. What is your reaction when you add a family member (nuclear family, relatives) to your Facebook? Does it cause any conflicts?9. Can romantic relationships be strengthened through Facebook? Can it be weakened through Facebook? How and why?10. Why do you have a Facebook?

Lyle Forgenburger:
Facebook has yet to do anything towards my status in life. I haven't use it to it's full potential and I am sure it would have some rewards and consequences.2. I communicate to everyone on Facebook equally which is for fun. 3. I tried to synchronize my behavior exactly on the internet with real life: Cheezy easy!4. My relationship seems to be improving as I am using ambient awareness at a minimum level. I wonder what happens if I go max?5. You know the "Give happiness to others, and happiness is given back"?6. The Instant Message Feature, Inbox, and the Status Change.7. Depends what they leave me.8. No. They respect my privacy. We have the if you see it, "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.9. I have no idea. Never been in a romantic relationship online, so I really do not have a say here.10. Better than MySpace, and I can find my buds relatively easy.

Surge Smith:
1.I feel like I'm more in the loop with FB. People use it more often and give it a lot of input. Also, the Birthday function is pretty useful.2. Not so much. I type to them the same way that I would speak to them.3. Just about the same--if at all, less closed as there are some things that I wouldn't want everyone to read.4. Once again, I just feel like I'm more in the loop and know more about others.5. Nope--I should, but I don't have sensitive material on my FB, or at least I don't think I do.6. Wall posts definitely. It's less personal, not in real time, but just as convenient as a text message. It's like having a pause button for a conversation.7. It gives me a false sense that others are interested in the mundane things that I do. But it is appreciated that people take the time to comment. All in all, it feels good--seriously, like a drug.8. Haven't had an issue at all as it doesn't seem any different from adding friends.9. One phrase: Facebook stalking.

Riley Whittier:
If anything it's given me an easy way to communicate to other friends of mine in a widespread fashion. Such as the Apac mixer event is much easier to invite everybody to through creating an event. And many of the apac'ers use their facebook often. Definitely helps. Although the electronic nature of facebook weakens friendships and relationships; Through normal activity the relationships still build. Overall it strengthens more than weakens because I can reach people in a quick manner. leaving them comments and posting pictures giving us more conversation and things to talk about.
No there is not. I communicate the same amount through facebook that I would normally with the person. I could see why this question is of concern. The boundaries for me, because I'm an open person are disregarded.
I am not more open; but I may be more wordy than How i normally speak and I may type things wrong which I would not say that way. (internet slang) Otherwise there is no significant difference.
it keeps me updated on whats going on and shows me what people want to share with others via status updates. fills me in on what i can talk about with people next time I see them. etc. I can understand that it may have negative effects as well; for me Its strictly informational to conversational.
no
6. It used to be graffiti but its mostly just wall posts. Nothing different than in the real world. I.e. i just said happy b-day to Nate bone on facebook. but i also called him friday and will greet him to lunch when we go to eat.7. basically it's saying they'd like to know me better. no harm in that. It's filled with positive vibe and I encourage it.8. It could have conflicts if there are things people want to hide from family members. On my personal level with family members I do not mind. I may not want my mom to add me but luckily she doesn't have one. Then she'd know if I was really studying or was doing something she would not approve of.9. This is an extremely subjective question and they can do either. in my opinion it depends on outside of facebook interaction more than in facebook interaction that determines the strength of the relationship. Facebook is merely a minor factor in this equation.10. To do these sorts of things. converse; communicate, express and share.

Taylor Freeman:
1. Facebook hasn’t made too big of an impact on my life yet, only because I don’t use it often enough. However, because of the birthday reminders on the side I now don’t’ forget to greet my friends on their birthdays, if that counts as improving my relationship with the social network.2. yes, I think there is a big difference between how I communicate with the different networks. I think that I put more of my time and attention onto my best friends through facebook, rather than just a schoolmate. For example; a birthday, my best friends get A LONG comment but my schoolmate’s just get a simple “happy birthday! (:” or something small like that.3. I am more closed when it comes to communicating on facebook, because it gets broadcasted to at least a hundred people.4. My relationships improve when I use ambient awareness.5. I don’t have different types of censorship or restrictions for different people.6. I use wall posts and statuses most within facebook. I’m not really sure how it differs from the real world.7. I mean, I guess I feel somewhat good when people I’m not as acquainted with leave me stuff because that means that they go on my facebook and it shows that they somewhat care.8. Haha, adding family is really awkward. More than half of my friends on facebook ARE my family, including my mother and grandma. But it causes a little bit of conflict because that just means I can’t post some things I’d like to post afraid that they will read it. But other than that it’s fine.9. I’m not sure if romantic relationships can be strengthened through Facebook. It can be weakened if one of the people sees a tagged picture or a wall post that they do not approve of and it causes conflict. 10. I have a facebook because it gives me a way to communicate to everyone. Such as, my family in the Philippines, my friends that have moved away for college, and so on. It makes things a lot easier.sorry my answers are so long(: i hope this helps.

Alex Lipschitz:
1 It has strengthened the ones that I started it for. Most of my high school buddies are going to college out of state, and since no one writes letters anymore this is the only way to keep in touch.2. absolutely3. its hard to really communicate with them since body language and tone has so much to do with communication4. It does nothing for me.5. No6. whatever i feel like. I don't use one too much over another7. They leave. people come and go you just have to take what you get.8. I have like only two family members on facebook, and it has brought us a lot closer9. Can't really say. I don't think any of my relationships have be affected. 10. To keep in touch with close friends who have moved away.

Andre Von Swerve:
Facebook has definitely improved some of my friendships, mainly the long distance friends that I have lost touch with since high school or earlier. For example, my friend Simon has been stationed in Kuwait and Iraq for the past year and a half. I lost contact with him since graduating high school and through facebook I was able to keep tabs with him. I eventually met up with him and some friends during his holiday leave this past December.2. I communicate with different networks somewhat differently I would say. The only difference is I may be more rude or blunt to my closer friends just because they can take it and understand my intentions. However with someone I am just acquainted with I usually am a little more polite. For family members, it depends on age and generation. For example, I can talk to my 28 year old cousin Bill like he's my homeboy, but not with my 35 yr old brother.3. I communicate very similarly on facebook and in real life since it is a casual interface for social networks. One difference might be that I might sound more intelligent because every word typed online is just a rough draft of your brain... the words don't come out of your mouth until you click "POST"4. I think all the ambient awareness can have a positive effect on relationships. These are just additional ways to relate with one another. It's basically like a huge public yet private bulletin. My friend Warren and I, who I haven't kept in touch with for a few years, are now more connected all because of his status update saying "plays poker". Just like that I saw him the next week at a home poker game with 8 other people. Also, I never would have gotten into street art (wheatpasting, poster/sticker art) if it weren't for seeing my cousin's work on facebook. I rarely see him since he lives in Glendale, but through facebook I was inspired right away and am now closer to him because of it.5. I have censorships with different people, mainly people who are older than I that require more respect when spoken to. Not to say I don't speak respectfully to my normal peers, it's just that I speak more casually with slang. Some people may get offended but more commonly misunderstand what I am trying to convey. 6. The method of communication I use most on facebook is through private messages and wall posts. This differs from the real world because you can have a million different conversations at once without spending 3 hours on the phone with everyone. It is also different because you can comment about anything from anytime, but in real life comments may seem "random" or people may not relate right away because there is no photo or written record to base off of. It seems to me that it is just another form of digital communication which is prevalent in todays younger generation7. I may feel somewhat surprised only because I don't communicate with the person on a regular basis. However, I do take it kindly as an attempt to open or build a friendship in a way. It also depends if I see the person regularly or not. If someone doesn't say a word to me in the real world and they do on facebook, I figure they may just be shy or intimidated to speak with me directly. If it's someone that I have not met but have seen before, I would definitely feel surprised. There are a lot people in this generation that will have 1500 friends on myspace, and they won't even know half of them!8. My reaction is the same as adding anyone else. There are no conflicts because I don't post inebriated pictures of myself online.... not that I'm a party animal or anything, but I don't think some of my devout Christian/Catholic family members would appreciate a photo of me with a red face that isn't a sunburn!9. Romantic relationships can be strengthened through facebook in some ways because it is another method of communicating to your partner/spouse. Just like flowers and candy, text messaging sweet nothings, posting e-cards and personally edited photos are all different ways in communicating and showing affection to your loved one. Isn't communication supposedly the most important thing in a romantic relationship? However on the flip-side, depending on varying personality types, facebook can be a negative thing for a relationship. The main reason is obviously jealousy and insecurity. Because everything on facebook is public to your network of friends, every little word and detail is recorded and magnified since it can be read over and over. With this information available, some may feel inclined to play "detective" and question everything.10. I have a facebook so I can keep in touch with friends and family that I do not see nor come in contact with throughout the week. I'm more efficient in communicating through the computer since my schedule is pretty busy throughout the week. Facebook allows me to network with distant friends and relate with them in ways I never would have if I had done so through text and phone.

Estelle Rydorn:
2. Are there certain communication differences between how you communicate with the different networks (your relationships between people) you have within facebook? (ie: how do you communicate bff vs. friend vs. coworker vs. family vs. schoolmate)
Older family will call.
Younger relatives will email.
Some friends/family have stopped emailing me and just communicated through facebook.
They will still call.
3. How does you communication change from facebook to the way you communicate with them in real world (ie are you more open, closed...)
In FB, I will be vague.
5. Do you have different types of censorship/restrictions for different people and what determines it?
I opened an account for Micaela with the strictest privacy settings. Her account is through my email so I see who communicates with her.
7. How do you feel when people you aren't as acquainted with (mutual friend, distant friend) leave you wall posts, respond to your status, and all forms of communication media on your Facebook? Why do you feel this way?
That they’re actually paying attention.
I have a separate account for my real estate network. I decided to do that since I didn’t want them tohave access to my friends and family’s info and pictures.8. What is your reaction when you add a family member (nuclear family, relatives) to your Facebook? Does it cause any conflicts?
We’re still trying to get my daughter on [facebook]. 9. Can romantic relationships be strengthened through Facebook? Can it be weakened through Facebook? How and why? I don’t really communicate with my spouse through fb. He’ll use the instant messenger if he wants to catch me on. 
10. Why do you have a Facebook?
I was invited. Now I am glad to be in touch with friends I haven’t seen in decades.

Drake Johnston:
Has the social network of facebook strengthen or improved yourrelationship? Has it weakened it? Give a brief story.--Yes; it allows me to quickly communicate with people whose personalcontact information (phone number, email, address) I do not have and withpeople whom I don't normally have the chance to talk to (relatives wholive in a different state/country). Also, when there's a group project,it's friendlier and easier to plan out a meeting or event because of the"Groups" and "Calendar" features. I've recently been invited to ababyshower through Facebook. (lol)2. Are there certain communication differences between how you communicatewith the different networks (your relationships between people) you havewithin facebook? (ie: how do you communicate bff vs. friend vs. coworkervs. family vs. schoolmate)--Yes. Generally, I post a lot of (dirty and stupid) inside jokes on thewalls of close friends more often than people I meet through organizationsand classes. The information and comments that are posted on walls arethings which I wouldn't mind other people knowing. For family events, weall usually call or text each other instead of Facebook because it's alittle more private. I use messages and the chat feature for moreintimate, one-on-one conversations because there are certain informationwhich I'd like to keep between just me and the other person (usuallybecause I just want to get to know them better).3. How does you communication change from facebook to the way youcommunicate with them in real world (ie are you more open, closed...)--Facebook allows me to openly tease close friends while knowing that ourgroup of friends would probably see, comment and play along with theteasing, similar to when we tease each other in person. Honestly, I alsouse it as a tool to flirt with people I meet from class and it allows meto be a little bit more cautious; I have more time to think about what tosay so that I don't embarrass myself too badly.4. How does ambient awareness affect your relationships (ie statusupdates, pictures, wall posts, notes...)--It's an interesting and easy way to keep up with people's past, presentand future lives. The pictures are like puzzle pieces that lets me knowwhat a person's hobbies and interests are. Through the Status Updates, Ican figure out who would be available and willing to hang out overstudying. Through notes, I am able to experience the wisdom orridiculousness of a person's thoughts.5. Do you have different types of censorship/restrictions for differentpeople and what determines it?--Yes; it depends on how creepy the person is (seriously.. LOL). I set my"limited" profile for people (who really take on stalker status) I meet atrandom places (clubs, parties, etc.) whom I really wouldn't want to know.Also, there are family members and religious friends whose eyes I don'twant to taint and/or offend with my "party" side, so I limit the things Ipost (i.e. pictures, notes).6. what kind of communication do you utilize the most within facebook(wall posts, msgs, graffiti, picture comments, status...) and how doesthat differ from real world?--In order: wall posts, status update comments, picture comments andmessages. But it also varies depending on the person I'm communicatingwith. As mentioned, I often post lots of unnecessary jokes on walls anddo the same for pictures and status updates of close friends; I wouldprobably verbally communicate the same messages if we were in person. Icommunicate more on facebook with family members who are still in the PIthan email and the phone calls, but it's generally the same messages. When flirting, it's more strategic when using Facebook than in person;there's less of a need to improvise corny jokes or pick up lines or thingsto talk about.7. How do you feel when people you aren't as acquainted with (mutualfriend, distant friend) leave you wall posts, respond to your status, andall forms of communication media on your Facebook? Why do you feel thisway?--If it's just a mutual friend, I'd think it'd be a little weird butnothing more than that; I would probably just think of the person being ina friendly mood. If it were someone I met recently who seems to begetting too friendly, I'd get a bit creeped out (especially if the personis trying to flirt with me while I'm not).8. What is your reaction when you add a family member (nuclear family,relatives) to your Facebook? Does it cause any conflicts?--It doesn't start any familial conflicts or anything, but it puts a bitof a strain on me. I try to un-tag any scandalous pictures that would getmy parents or any other elder family member to lecture me about how I leadmy life during college.9. Can romantic relationships be strengthened through Facebook? Can it beweakened through Facebook? How and why?--Without a doubt, it's a great way to flirt and easily strengthensbudding romantic relationships. But it can also tear unstable romanticrelationships (by "unstable", I mean relationships which lack trust andcommunication). Any updates can evoke so much emotions, particularlyjealousy and anger, especially if the romantic relationship is longdistance and one significant other is socially active compared to theirpartner.10. Why do you have a Facebook?-- I have a facebook to communicate. lol. But specifically:(1) To keep up with old friends and family(2) To get to know new friends and acquaintances(3) To flirt (Hahaha... lame but true)(4) To be part of the social, virtual conformity/trend(5) To procrastinate on studying (like now)(6) To help friends out by doing surveys like these! =)

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