ABSTRACT
Electronic means of communication, such as emails, text messaging, and social networking websites, have become very popular in recent years. For example, Raacke and Bonds-Raacke (2008) found that 87%
5 of their sample of college students use social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook. This growth of new devices for communication raises the question of whether relationships using the new modes of communication are as satisfying as face-to-face social interac-
1 0 tions. Kraut, Patterson, Lundmark, Kiesler, Mukopadhyay, and Scherlis (1998) reported that the time spent on the Internet was positively associated with a decline in meaningful communication with household family members, fewer people in immediate social
15 circles, and an increase in experiences of depression and loneliness, although their later research identified some positive benefits for extraverts (Kraut, Kiesler, Boneva, Cummings, Helgeson, & Crawford, 2002).
