Description
Over the past few decades the study of friendship has become an increasingly popular subject in the field of communication. More specifically, social development and maintenance behaviors are becoming a more prevalent theme, especially in adolescence and young adult populations, particularly during their transition to college. Driven by the innate need to connect with other humans, individuals are motivated to develop new friendships in each environment that they might reside in or work. Along with developing new friendships, individuals will likely strive to maintain and strengthen relationships already developed throughout their lives. The augmentation of computer-mediated means of communication has advanced relationship development and maintenance behaviors beyond just face-to-face communication of these social behaviors. Juxtaposed between computer-mediated means of communication and face-to-face communication this study aims to enlighten specific relationship maintenance and development behaviors that are both beneficial and detrimental to many adolescents during the vital period of transition to college. Keywords: friendship, friendship development, maintenance behaviors, social relationships, computer-mediated communication, adolescence
