The Facebook Effect on the Interactions of Freshmen - Essay Example

In all the recruitment methods, interested subjects were asked to send the research assistant an email regarding the project. They would then receive extra information together with a web link that would enable them complete the survey in their free time. The study was divided into three sections. The first section measured the personality traits such as homesickness, anxiety, depression, stress and self-esteem. The second section assessed the subject’s behavior on Facebook and details such as their number of friends, the number of messages received and sent and the number of comments they received on their posts.

After one year, in January 2011, the same subjects were approached again through email to participate in the same survey. The participants were also contacted in June and September 2011. The aim was to access the longitudinal information collected from the subjects who participated in all the four instances in which the study was offered as well as analyze the data from the participants who had been involved in the study in less than four cases. The sample size in October 2010 was 161 subjects.

In January 2011, there were 171 participants.The analysis of the data from the surveys clearly shows that the use of Facebook is a practical method of managing stress due to the transition to University. Linear regression showed that students who received the most comments and private messages on their posts had a higher self-esteem than those who received less feedback.