I befriended a face : a sociological inquiry of social networking sites in relation to the self and the online social activities

Abstract

This study focuses on how social networking sites, especially Facebook, are influencing the social communicative experiences of students attending the University of Malta. It aims at injecting a sociological element in this new realm of online social networking, an area which is experiencing a growing sociological interest. Through the use of two qualitative techniques, namely interviews and online participant observation, a rich and genuine first hand outflow of information is possible, aiding in the in-depth analysis of the emerging issues, namely, dealing with the presentation of the self and the various mechanisms used, the online web of social connections, the private and public boundaries, and finally security issues.