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COLLEGE STUDENTS’ USE OF FACEBOOK
Many college students are active members of facebook hence putting the site into various uses according to their needs. Facebook is a social networking site that is intended to connect friends, family, and business associates. Facebook is the largest popular social networking site which is closely followed by MySpace.(WiseGeek, 2008).
Ellison (2007) points out that, “Social networking sites allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks and maintain connections with another. The sites can be oriented towards work- related contexts, romantic relationship initiation or the college student population. Participants may use the site to interact with people that they already know offline or to meet new people.”
In particular, facebook allows users especially students to present themselves in an online profile, accumulate friends who can post comments on their pages and view each other’s profile. The members can also join virtual groups based on common interests, see classes that they have in common, learn of others hobbies, interests, music and relationship status. Online SNSs support the maintenance of existing social `ties as well as the formation of new connections.
The college student told experiences life both in real and virtual communities. Being early adapters of internet, the college students are active in several online communities. The students use the social network to explore the new forms of self expression, create connections in the most improbable and blur the line between their real world and virtual world. By the time students reach college, 88% use internet daily and 86% bring their computers to college. This statistics is based on the student monitor. (Ana.M.,2006)
REFERENCES
Ana,M. (2006). Online social networking on campus. Washington: USA.
Ellison,
References: Ana,M. (2006). Online social networking on campus. Washington: USA. Ellison, N.(2007)The benefits of Facebook ‘friends’: Exploring the relationship between college students’ use of online social networks and social capital. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12, no. 3. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/ ssue4/ellison.html (accessed on July 2012). WiseGeek, (2008). Facebook friending and use among college students. Retrieved from http/wisegeek.com. ( accessed on July 2012)