Some researchers have coined the term ‘‘friendsickness’’ to refer to the distress
caused by the loss of connection to old friends when a young person moves away to
college (Paul & Brier, 2001). Internet technologies feature prominently in a study of
communication technology use by this population by Cummings, Lee, and Kraut
(2006), who found that services like email and instant messaging help college students
remain close to their high school friends after they leave home for college. We
therefore introduce a measure focusing specifically on the maintenance of existing
social capital after this major life change experienced by college students, focusing on
their ability to leverage and maintain social connections from high school.