Finding Friends: The Role of Loneliness on the Formation of Online Friendships Among Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i3.5087Keywords:
Adolescents, loneliness, online friendships, social media, social networking sites, chat rooms, virtual intimacyAbstract
Today’s teens communicate with their friends through many online social platforms and digital mediums. It might be believed that increasing levels of social connectedness through the internet must decrease feelings of loneliness among younger generations. Paradoxically, however, loneliness may be plaguing more adolescents than ever before. This study investigates the role loneliness plays in adolescents’ abilities to form and maintain online friendships. Three hypotheses were formed to gain insight into the research question. Self-reported answers to measures of loneliness and friendships were provided by 56 American high school and college students 15-20 years of age through an online survey and a post-survey interview. A multiple regression analysis was conducted on the quantitative data and a content analysis was performed on the qualitative data obtained from data collection. Results from statistical testing and qualitative analysis indicate that (a) gender is not a significant predictor of loneliness, (b) education level is a significant predictor of loneliness, and (c) even though many participants felt less lonely while communicating with their online friends, no conclusions can be made on whether forming and maintaining online friendships circumvents loneliness. Several reasons may explain the inconclusive hypothesis. Regardless, it can be concluded that several motivations exist for why adolescents form and/or maintain an online friendship. Overall, this research presents a unique perspective on how adolescents feel and function in the digital age.
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