Participants
Ninety-two undergraduate students (60 females; mean age=20.59 years, SD=1.07) from two psychology classes at a private
university in a large metropolitan area participated in this study for extra credit. First year students comprised 20.65% of the
sample, sophomores 23.91%, juniors 35.87%, and seniors 18.48%. The sample was 75% Anglo/Euro-American, 6.52% African-
American, 6.52% Asian-American or Pacific Islander, 4.35% Hispanic-American, and 7.60% of an ethnicity other than those listed or
of a mixed background.
Most students originally activated their Facebook account during the summer before college (53.26%), though some did so after
they began college (38.04%). On average, respondents had been using Facebook for about 2 years (M=24.32 months, SD=9.93).
Only students who had a Facebook account participated in this study, but almost all of the students in the classes were members of
Facebook. Previous studies have found that more than 90% of college students use Facebook