Cyber Means Pilot

After reviewing the literature associated with this field of study, it suggested to me to look at online social networks from the online-offline dynamic. The online-offline dynamic is defined as the ability of a online social network to develop and maintain relationships and transfer those relationships to the real world environment. Therefore, it seemed that I should focus my dissertation on a real world effect of online social networking. I will focus on the issues surrounding incoming freshmen coming from small towns going to large universities and how those freshmen use Facebook as a coping mechanism. A coping mechanism will be defined as the unconscious or conscious way of dealing with stress that allows the user to connect with other users on the network, other people or other organizations within the real world environment.

I decided to look beyond the fanastic events that can cause users of Facebook to create at deeper level of connection. After finishing my simple analysis of the Virginia Tech shooting, I decided to look at another event that would cause a great deal of stress to students, their first year at college I decided to persue this as my theme for my dissertation as it seems to be a common experience among incoming freshmen to feel unsure about their surroundings and, to borrow a phrase, that they are in a foreign social fabric. Facebook provides incoming freshmen as great opportunity to explore the campus virtually, connect with people on campus and get a feel for the social enviroment on campus. A student can conduct themselves through the social setting of Facebook without the fear of face-to-face rejection and all from the comfort of home. It was this line of thinking that piqued my interest in how incoming freshman use Facebook to cope with their first year of college.