Facebook as relationship maintenance platform and users’ perceived tie strength: Comparison between friendship types

Abstract

This research aimed to explore the role that Facebook plays in users’ relationship maintenance strategies for their different types of friends and investigated if Facebook is a reliable communication channel to achieve high levels of perceived tie strength between relationship partners. The study examined how Facebook is used as a friendship maintenance platform with different friendship types, and whether that Facebook interaction is associated with users’ perceived tie strength. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 purposively selected informants and the interview transcriptions were analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method (Glaser, 1965). The findings indicated that informants primarily use Facebook to keep in touch with acquaintances, and consider it a useful platform to maintain weak ties. Nearly all informants reported that the primary reason they use Facebook is to keep in touch and stay connected to friends who do not live near them, and all said that Facebook was an important part of their relationship maintenance strategies. The informants stated that they used more than one communication channel to maintain close friendships, that Facebook was not their primary method of communication with their closest friends, and that they used a variety of messaging services to stay connected to their closest friends. This research does not offer any proof that increased Facebook interaction as part of relationship maintenance strategies will lead to greater tie strength without other concomitant relationship maintenance strategies, nor does it offer support to the idea that a high level of Facebook interaction can move a friend along the relationship pathway toward greater tie strength.