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Orig. title: FRIENDING ONLINE–BRIDGING AND BONDING ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES FOR ROMANIAN ADOLESCENTS

Engl. transl.: FRIENDING ONLINE–BRIDGING AND BONDING ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES FOR ROMANIAN ADOLESCENTS

Keywords

adolescents social capital bridging bonding social network sites befriending friends

Publication details

Year: 2017
Issued: 2017
Language: English
Issue: 2
Start Page: 121
End Page: 133
Editors:
Authors: Velicu A.; Balea B.; Barbovschi M.
Type: Journal article
Journal: Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies
Publisher: Editura Academiei Române
Place: București
Topics: Internet usage, practices and engagement; Social mediation; Digital and socio-cultural environment
Sample: 12 focus groups, adolescents 11 to 18 years old

Abstract

"Our article deals with the process of young Romanians (11 to 18 years old) (be)friending other people on social media through processes of bridging and bonding, as one of the crucial developmental tasks in adolescence is creating and maintaining meaningful relationships. Using a rather processual approach to social capital (as opposed to seeing it as an outcome), we explored the phases of bridging, bonding and maintaining relationships and their interconnectedness in the process of Friending online. Drawing on a qualitative methodology (12 single-sex focus groups conducted in spring 2016 in two urban areas of Romania), our analyses focused on young people’s friending practices on Facebook and Whatsapp, taking into account gender and developmental differences, as well as specific affordances of social media platforms as mediated by young people’s digital and social media skills. Our results revealed complex processes in place, including the transformation of ‘latent’ ties into ‘weak’ ties, bonding in groups and decluttering mechanisms as a reaction to digital crowding through platform-enabled actions, such as unfriending, blocking or unfollowing."

Outcome

"Our results revealed complex processes in place, including the transformation of ‘latent’ ties into ‘weak’ ties, bonding in groups and decluttering mechanisms as a reaction to digital crowding through platform-enabled actions, such as unfriending, blocking or unfollowing."

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