Friends Forever: Examining Online Socializing

Course Description

The focus of this course is on examining how internet applications and online social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and instant messenger, affect your circle of friends during your first semester and beyond. Has the internet had a negative impact on our relationships and participation in community events, as David Putnam suggests in “Bowling Alone,” or is the net redefining what a community is and what it means to be someone’s friend? We discuss what the use and impact of online social networking may mean for our generation and compare that with the social networking methods and outcomes of previous generations.