Seniors and friendship formation online 1
Despite theorists urging researchers to look at interpersonal communication and
relationships across the life span (Carstensen, Pasupathi, Mayr, & Nesselroade, 2000;
Williams, 2002; Williams & Nussbaum, 2001), there is little research that discusses the
nature of friendship formation for older adults. What research we have is based
primarily on studies done with university undergraduates and is rarely intergenerational
because there is an underlying assumption that friendships are peer relationships
(Holladay & Kerns, 1999). What research we have is also primarily based on face-to-
face friendship building rather than mediated friendship building. From this research, we
discover that in order to build friendships, we communicate, we talk about ourselves, we
reciprocate communication behaviors, we try to make a good impression, we find areas
of commonality, and we try to act in ways that will preserve the relationship. Our pilot
study seeks to address the lack of research on friendship formation for older adults, and to
determine the communication behaviors that are important to the formation of friendships
for seniors through online technology.
The importance of social support
Social support “refers to the actual transfer of advice, aid, and affect through
interpersonal networks during a specific period of time. [It can also] be viewed as a
perception of hypothetical resource availability” (Liang, Krause, & Bennett, 2001, p.
512). Social support often refers to socio-emotional and/or instrumental support that is
dispensed through an interdependent network of individuals in a social group (e.g. a
family or a community). Most people rely on about 25 relatives, close friends, neighbors,
and coworkers for social support (Pattison & Pattison, 1981). These networks are
beneficial to individuals as well as to society. While all of us need to have healthy social
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Convention