strength can be inferred from site use [14,24]. But whetherthese sites simply reflect relationships maintained throughother channels, displace more meaningful interactions, orenhance relationships is an open question.The present study examines the connection betweenFacebook use and changes in relationship strength. Itexamines how the frequency of phone, email, and face-tofaceconversations and different styles of Facebookcommunication for 26,134 pairs of friends predict changesin self-reported relationship strength month-to-month.People grow closer the more they communicate onFacebook, over and above communication via otherchannels. Exchanging substantive messages and commentswith friends on Facebook and reading friends’ news areassociated with increases in tie strength, while exchangingless content-filled, “one-click” communicative acts, such as“likes,” does not. The effect is stronger for non-family andfor friends who rarely communicate via other media.RELATIONSHIP FORMATION AND MAINTENANCERegular contact is at the heart of relationships with friends[1]. Communication jump starts relationships; People likeeach other better when they communicate more. Andcommunication keeps them going; Duck describes“centripetal forces” acting on friendships that pull themapart without regular communication [10]. As a result,maintaining a portfolio of relationships requires sizableinvestment [18]. In particular, friendships are at greatest
risk of failure when they are new. Each new relationship is
a potential competitor for time invested in existing friends.
Therefore, when two people first meet, they look for clues
to evaluate whether the relationship’s benefits will be worth
its effort [2]. Because of competition with existing ties,
many potential relationships never get started and others
fail quickly.
While friendships require injections of communication to
thrive, family relationships are generally more resilient and
require less communication [1,29]. Kinship ties are resilient
because of biological selection pressures to favor those who
share a genetic line [29], early childhood experiences that
foster strong attachments [4], and social institutions
including marriage and child custody laws that support
kinship. In contrast, friendship ties are more dependent on
communication “because there are no institutional pressures
for permanence” [25].
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