Young adults live both on the Internet, most often on Facebook,
as well as in everyday, offline social environments.
More than 90% of college students are Facebook users and
spend substantial time online (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe,
2006). Facebook pages present the individual to the larger
social world and mark social milestones. For instance,
college student romantic relationships are serious only
when they become “Facebook official”—when the partners
mention dating on their Facebook pages (Kenen, 2007).
Popular media decry the negative effects Facebook has on
“real-life” social relationships (Fergus, 2009). However, there
is very little research directly observing social behavior on
Facebook.