Frequency of Communication on Facebook as a Factor in Four Dimensions of Perceived Social Support

This dissertation explored relationships between the frequency of public communication on the social networking website Facebook and the level of social support an individual perceives. Students in the Graduate School of Social Work and the Emergent Digital Practices program were surveyed. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the variables. Findings from the analysis indicated that the frequency of posting statuses on Facebook and the frequency of responding to other\u27s status updates on Facebook was significantly and negatively associated with a perception of tangible social support. The frequency of these types of communication were not significantly associated with the perception of appraisal, belonging, or self-esteem social support. The frequency of others responding to one\u27s status posts was not significantly associated to the perception of any type of social support. The implications of these findings for theory, research, and social work practice are explored