Facebook Use During Relationship Termination: Uncertainty Reduction and Surveillance
Publication: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume 16, Issue Number 11
Abstract
Many studies document how individuals use Facebook to meet partners or develop and maintain relationships. Less is known about information-seeking behaviors during the stages of relationship termination. Relational dissolution is a socially embedded activity, and affordances of social network sites offer many advantages in reducing uncertainty after a breakup. A survey collected responses from 110 individuals who use Facebook to gather information about their romantic ex-partners. Results indicated that after breakup, partners may take advantage of the system's information visibility and the relative invisibility of movement depending on relational factors (initiator role and breakup uncertainty), social factors (perceived network approval of Facebook surveillance), and individual privacy concerns. This investigation addresses questions such as what type of information-seeking foci do individuals employ and how do individuals use Facebook as a form of surveillance? What factors motivate surveillance behavior?
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume 16 • Issue Number 11 • November 2013
Pages: 788 - 793
PubMed: 23786171
Copyright
Copyright 2013, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
History
Published online: 14 November 2013
Published in print: November 2013
Published ahead of print: 20 June 2013
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