DOI: 10.4018/IJCBPL.2017100102
International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and LearningVolume 7 • Issue 4 • October-December 2017
Copyright©2017,IGIGlobal.CopyingordistributinginprintorelectronicformswithoutwrittenpermissionofIGIGlobalisprohibited.
The Development of Online Friendship ScaleAvin Fadilla Helmi, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia
Wahyu Widhiarso, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia
Aftina Nurul Husna, Faculty of Psychology & Humanities, Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang, Magelang, Indonesia
ABSTRACT
ThisarticlediscussesconceptandmeasurementofonlinefriendshipinanIndonesiancontext.Onlinefriendshipisconsideredtobesuperficialduetothelackofface-to-faceinteractionandemotionalintimacy.Basedongroundedtheoryresearch,onlinefriendshipconsistsoffivedimensions:caution,voluntariness,companionship,sharing,andmutualsupport(Study1).UGM’sOnlineFriendshipScalewasdevelopedasmeasurementofonlinefriendship(Study2).Initialsetofitemswasadministeredtouniversitystudents(N=42)andresultedin21reliableitems(r=.408-.687).Constructvaliditytestingwasappropriatelyusedforthedata(Bartlett’sTest=1174.1(p<.05),KMOvalues=.837).CFAconfirmsthattheonlinefriendshipscaleismultidimensional.Thefactorloadscameupwithfourdimensions:sharing(30.197%),voluntariness(8.576%),companionship(8.256%),andmutualsupport(7.769%).Sharing(informationandknowledge)wasthedimensionwithhighestcontribution,indicatingonlinefriendshipservesmoreasmeansofnetworkingbetweenusersratherthansocialbonding.
KeywORDSAdolescent, Indonesian Context, Online Friendship, Online Friendship Scale, Scale Development, Social Network Sites
INTRODUCTION
Inthecurrenteraofinformationanddigitaltechnology,anewformoffriendshipemerges.Itchallengestheconceptoftraditionalfriendship.Friendshipisdefinedasa“voluntaryinterdependencebetweentwopeopleovertime,thatisintendedtofacilitatesocio-emotionalgoalsoftheparticipants,andmayinvolvevaryingtypesanddegreesofcompanionship,intimacy,affection,andmutualassistance”(Hays,inDemir&Ozdemir,2010;Collins&Madsen,2006).Threeaspectshavebeenknowntoformthebasisoffriendship,namelyreciprocality,interdependency,andvoluntaryactions(Rubin,Bukowski,&Parker,2006).Hence,exploringthecurrentstyleoffriendshipbecomesessential,mainlytounderstandyounggenerationsthesedays.
Onlinefriendshipdevelopsandevolvesthroughcomputer-mediatedcommunication(CMC)inanonlinesocialcontext(Chan&Cheng,2004).Theemergenceofsocialnetworkingsites(SNS)that connect millions of internets users worldwide, such as Friendster, MySpace, LinkedIn, andFacebook,significantlyincreasesthenumberofonlinefriendship.Situatedincompletelydifferentspace,unusualphenomenabegintooccurandarefailedtobeexplainedbyexistingpsychologicalandsocialtheoriesoffriendship.
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CMCbecameincreasinglypopularinthe1990sanddrivesmanyexpertstoinvestigatethenatureofinterpersonalrelationshipincyberspaceaswellasitsantecedents(Hwang,2014),dynamics(DeChoudhury, Sundaram, John, & Seligmann, 2010), and effects (Helliwell & Huang, 2013). Forexamples,thephenomenaofloveinthevirtualworldindicatestheuniquedevelopmentofonlinerelation (Cooper & Sportolari, 1997); occurrence of self-contradiction and distinct dynamics ofpersonality(Amichai-Hamburger,Wainapel,Fox,2002),andmoreintenseandfrequentexpressionresultingfromonlinedisinhibitioneffect(Suler,2004).
Some studies have specifically investigated online friendship, its development and features.ParksandFloyd(1996) investigatedhowpeoplebuildfriendships incyberspace.Friendshipisatypicalrelationshipincyberspace,formedwithnewacquaintancesinSNS.Itevolveswithtimeandusuallyprogressesintoofflinesituations.Formanypeople,cyberspaceisanotherplacetomeetandthefriendshipwilleventuallymoveintotherealworld.
Osborn (2000) defined online friendship based on its characteristics. The methods includeapplyingcharacteristicsofofflinefriendshipontoonlinefriendshipsandseeingthedifferenceinscoresthatthesubjectsgavetotheironlineandofflinefriends.Similartoofflinefriendship,onlinefriendshipischaracterizedbythepresenceofmutuality,authenticity,fun,complementarity,understanding,andcommonality,butinalowerlevel.However,sincethisstudysoughttoexploreonlinefriendshipinofflinefriendshipperspective,nonewfindingswerefoundregardingthenatureofonlinefriendship.
ChanandCheng(2004)comparedthequalityofonlineandofflinefriendshipatdifferentstagesofdevelopmentbasedonsevendimensionsofinterpersonalrelationships,namelyinterdependence,breadth,depth,codechange,understanding,commitment,andnetworkconvergence.Inlinewithpreviousstudy,onlinefriendshiphasarelativelylowerqualitycomparedtoofflineone.However,astimepasses,allowingmoremessagingexchanges,thequalitywillincreasetothepointthatitnolongerdiffersmuchwithofflinefriendshipquality.
TalmudandMesch(2007),andAntheunis,Valkenburg,andPeter(2012)foundthatthequalityofonlinesocialrelationsdependsonthedurationanddiversityoftopicsandactivitiesthatpeopletaketogether.Timeplaysavitalrolebecauseitfacilitatesthedevelopmentofcollectivehistoryandidentity.Meanwhile,intimacyisformedthroughparticipationinjointactivitiesanddiscussionofvariousissuesofpersonalconcern.Proximitytofriendsisafunctionofperceivedsocialsimilarity,diversityofcontentandactivity,anddurationofrelationships.
These studies contribute significantly to a better understanding of online friendship and itsinfluencing factors. However, there is no study found to have focus on conceptualizing onlinefriendship. The current conceptualization of online friendship is still largely affected by theconceptualizationofofflinefriendshipandfailstocapturetheaccuratefeaturesoffriendshipsituatedincyberspace.Tofillthistheoreticalgap,thecurrentresearchaimstodiscoverhowonlinefriendshipisperceivedbythepeoplewhoexperienceit.Theresearchquestionsposedare:WhatisthemeaningofonlinefriendshipaccordingtoSNSusers?Whatarethedimensionsofonlinefriendshipthatmightdistinguishitfromtraditional-offlinefriendship?
Toexploretheconceptofonlineresearch,weconductedtwostudies.InStudy1,weconductedaqualitativestudytorevealtheexperienceofundergoingonlinefriendshipfromseveralactiveusersofSNS.InStudy2,tovalidatetheconceptofonlinefriendship,wedevelopedanonlinefriendshipscalebasedonthedimensionsfoundandanalyseditusingConfirmatoryFactorialAnalysis(CFA).
Thepurposeofthisstudyisimportant,notonlytodeveloptheoryforonlinefriendship,butalsotounderstandonlinesocialbehaviorinthecontextofdevelopingcountrysuchasIndonesia.InvestigationofonlinefriendshipinIndonesiaisrelativelyrare,despitethefactofIndonesiabeingtheworld’seighthlargestinternetuser.Indonesianinternetusersreached88millionpeople.Young
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peopleaged18-25years(49%)isthemostextensiveuser,usingitmainlyforsocializing(AsosiasiPenyediaJasaInternetIndonesia,2014).
Thissituationposessomeriskstomanycountriesbecauseintensiveuseofsocialmediaisoftennotaccompaniedwithproperdigitalliteracy(Suwana&Lily,2017;Fardiah,Rinawati,&Karsa,2015;Rice,Haynes,Royce,&Thomson,2016).ThereareseveralcasesinIndonesiathatindicatetheoccurrenceofcybercrimebyutilizingonlinefriendshipasitsmodus operandi.Byunderstandingthenatureanddynamicsofonlinefriendship,wecanprovideinformativefeedbackforhealthyonlinefriendshippromotionefforts.
MeTHODS
Exploratory research in Study 1 used grounded-theory methods as the primary methodologicalframework, inwhich theories arederived fromdata (Charmaz,2006).Thismethod isbetter forexploringonlinefriendshipqualitythathasneverbeenstudiedbefore,especiallyinIndonesiancontext.
Datawerecollectedintwostages:focus-groupdiscussions(FGD)andsurveyswithopen-endedquestionnaires.FGDwasconducted to tenstudents fromvarious faculties inUniversitasGadjahMadaandfourhighschoolstudents.Allparticipantsareselectedwiththemaincriteriabeingactiveinonlinesocialmedia,suchasFacebookandTwitter.IntheFGD,thequestionsaskedabouttheuseofsocialmedia(activityandintensity)andtheprocessofonlinefriendship.AftertheFGD,asurveywasconductedon86studentsinthethirdsemesterusingquestionnaires.Therearethreequestionsaskedinthequestionnaire:
1. Accordingtoyou,whatismeantbyonlinefriendship?2. Whatdoyouexperiencewhenyoufeellikeyouhaveonlinefriends?3. Whatdoyouexperiencewhenyoufeellikeyouareunabletohaveonlinefriends?
Datawerecollectedandanalyzedusinggroundedtheorymethod(opencoding,focusedcoding,andaxialcoding).Inopencodingstage,severalkeywordswereobtained.Thenextstageidentifiedcategoriesandsubcategoriesofthesekeywords,resultinginmajorthemesconstitutingthecoreorcentralphenomenonofthetopicunderstudy.
ReSULT OF STUDy 1: eXPLORING THe QUALITy OF FRIeNDSHIP ON SOCIAL NeTwORKS
Core Category 1: Definition of Online FriendsThecorecategoryof“definitionofonlinefriendship”consistsoffivecategories:location,partner,befriendingmethod,natureofinteraction,andfriendshipgoals.Thefivecategoriesarebasedon17categoriesshowninTable1.Thedefinitionofonlinefriendshipindicatesthatithasseveraldifferentrelationalcharacteristicsfromofflinefriendships,whichinturnaffectactivitiesthatoccurinonlineenvironment,asfurtherelaboratedincorecategory2.
Onlinefriendshipisinterindividualrelationthatoccursamongpeopleinthevirtualworld.Onlinefriendshipoccursthroughutilizationofonlinemedia,suchasinternetapplications,websites,andsocialnetworks,suchasFacebook,Twitter,andMySpace.Onlinefriendshipisestablishedamongpeoplewhohaveorhadknowneachotherintherealworld,eitherinpresentorpasttime.Inthiscase,onlinefriendshipactsasanextensionofspaceandsupportforofflinefriendship.
Onlinefriendshipcanalsobemadewithacquaintancesincyberspace.Itsdevelopmentinvolvesthepresenceofinteractionandintroductionthatcanturnstrangersintofriends,evenevolvesfurtherintoofflinefriends;whiletheabsenceoffurthertransitionwouldleavethemtobestrangers.Uniquely,
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strangerscanstillbelabeled“friends”aslongasthepersonalaccountbetweenthetwopartiesisstillconnected.
Computer-mediatedcommunication(informofpersonalcomputersorsmartphones)limitsthedepthoftheinteractionofonlinefriendshipduetotheabsenceofnonverbalcues.Peoplerelyonatleastthreemodalitiestocommunicatetoeachother,i.e.,text(visual-verbal),imagesorphotos(visual-pictorial),andvideo(audiovisual)toexchangemessages.Therefore,interpersonalcompatibilitywhichisessentialforthecontinuityoffriendshipdependsonhowoneusesthesethreemodesofcommunication.
In general, we get friends from the real world and then continue in cyberspace. I think real friendship only exist in the real world .... (Subject 2, questionnaire)... it’s very easy to gain and lose friends online. This is what makes it (friendship online) different from the friendship in the real world, namely the lack of respect for each other. While the positive side of online friendship is that it is an effective medium for sharing information. (Subject 40, questionnaire)Regarding not being able to make online friends, I personally do not care much about it. I am able to keep intimate friendship and communication in the real world. (Subject 41, questionnaire)
Formost subjects, online interaction is consideredpseudo, abstract, orunreal, unless it cancontinueintherealworld.Theformedrelationshipisalsoconsiderednotintimateandsincere,as
Table 1. Core categories, categories, and subcategories
Core categories Category Sub-category
DefinitionofOnlineFriendship
Location Existinthevirtualworld
Partner OfflinefriendsNewfriendsfromsocialmediaStrangers
BefriendingMethod ModalityMessageexchangesinpublicandprivatemedia
NatureofInteraction Feign,unrealNotin-depthHighself-disclosureUncertaintyandliesFreedom,butwithhighcautionNotlimitedbytime&space
Purposeofmakingfriend Sharingknowledge&informationBuildingnetwork(withnewpeople)“Silaturahim”(reconnectwitholdfriends)“KEPO” (Knowing every particular object)
OnlineFriendshipDimensions
Cautiousness AwarenessonthedangersofcyberspaceBeingselectiveandcautious
Voluntariness FreedomeonpersonalpreferenceFreedomtoconnectanddisconnectarelationship
MutualSupport TheneedforequalreciprocalinteractionTheneedforpositiveinteraction
Companionship ActivitiestogetherCompatiblecommunication
Sharing Sharinginformation,knowledge,thought,&feelings
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wellaslackingemotionalattachment.Someonecangetnewfriendsasquickaslosingthem(justclick“unfriend”).
Thepurposeofbefriendingincyberspaceisnottogaincompletesupport,especiallytheemotionalone.Themainpurposesaretoshareorexchangeinformation,tobuildnetworkswithnewpeople,andtomaintainrelationshipswitholdfriendsfromtherealworld.Onlinefriendshipworksmoreassupporterofofflinefriendship.Onlinefriendsserveasadditions,extensions,add-ons,orsubstitutesforofflinebuddies.
Duetoitssecondaryrole,oneconsidersfriendshipincyberspaceaslessimportantthanfriendshipintherealworld.Virtualandrealworldareunderstoodasaseparateworldandhavetheirownlife.Onlinefriendshipwithfriendsintherealworldcanbeconnectedanddisconnectedwithoutaffectingofflinerelations.Forsomereason,thedegreeoffriendshipcanbedecided,andapersoncanremainordinaryalltimewithoutcausingrelationalproblem.Peoplealsodonothavetotryhardtobeagoodfriendforhisfriendincyberspace.
Core Category 2: Online Friendship DimensionsThesecondcorecategory,“dimensionsofonlinefriendship”,showssomedistinctcharacteristicsofonlinefriendshipwhichaffectonlineactivities.Thereareatleastfivecategories,namelycautiousness,voluntariness,supportivemutuality,companionship,andsharingbehavior.
CautiousnessTheneedofsecuritystandsoutinonlinerelationships,especiallywithstrangers(peoplewhoareneverseenorknownbeforeintherealworld).Cautiousnessiscloselyrelatedtotheawarenessofthedangersofcyberspace.Forsomesubjects,thevirtualworldisconsideredasuncertainandfullofliewhereinpeoplecanusefalseidentitiesandhaveevilintentions.Informationaboutpeopleislimitedwhichconsequentlymakesbackgroundchecking–whichisessentialfordecisionmakingtobefriendornot-difficulttodo.
There was a stranger on my friend list (I didn’t know how it came to be). He chats me and I responded casually, but after awhile he became interested in me ... I refused to have a relationship and no longer stayed in contact with him by ignoring his messages. (Subject 5, questionnaire)At first I had good communication with a friend on social networking. We know each other closely, but over time the person becomes impolite, and eventually I was forced to block him/her. (Subject 52, questionnaire)
Themostprominentbehaviorinthiscategoryisactinginselectiveandvigilantmannerbeforeapprovingfriendrequestsandduringtheperiodofbefriending,especiallywithstrangers.Initially,toensuresecurity,subjectstakeintoconsiderationthestranger’sname(whetheritisarealnameofthepersonoracheesyone),bioinformation,avatarorprofilepicture(realphotographornot),statusof“mutualfriend”,andrecommendationfromothers.Ifthesecriteriaarenotmet,subjectsunhesitatinglyrefusethefriendrequest.
Inothercases,whensubjectshaveapprovedastranger’sfriendrequest,theassessmentismadebasedonthequalityof their interactionduringaperiod.Subjectswillstopconsideringapersonas their friend, ignorehim/her,cancel friendshiporevenblock thatperson,when theyperceivesuspiciousintentions,experiencenegativecommunications(e.g.,offensivespeech),orlackinmutualinteractionexpected.
VoluntarinessOnlinefriendshiphasmorefreedomincomparisontotheofflineone.Onecanfreelyandeasilyinviteorapprovefriendinvitationsusing“add/acceptfriend”and“follow”featuresothatthenumberof
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one’sfriendscanreachhundredsandevenmillionsofpeople.Theycanbefriends,familymembers,nowandpastacquaintances,publicfigures,andnational/internationalcelebrities.Onecanalsofreetocutfriendshipwithanyonetheydislike,whetheritisastrangerorsomeonetheyknow,withoutanypenalty.
Onlinefriendshiphappenswithoutcoercionbasedonpersonalinitiative.Eachpersonhasagreatcontroltomakeorbreaktheirrelationshipwithothers.However,thevoluntarinessisnotimmunefromcertainsocialinfluences.Thiswasdemonstratedintheexperienceofoneofthesubjectsoffocusgroupdiscussion:
On Twitter I do not foll-back (follow back) friends who do not ask, because I’m the type of person who does not like to be an open follower. ... (but) usually if it’s someone I know who asks for a follback, then I will follback. If suppose he/she does not ask and I do not know who it is then I won’t follow. ... if I need it, I’ll follow ... like an artist. Or maybe suppose I like some of my artists then I’ll follow to see their activities. (Subject IE, FGD)
Voluntarinessisboundtoanunstatednormamongsocialmediausers,i.e.,mutualinteraction(equalreciprocating).Ifsomeonedoessomethingforothers(e.g.,followhispage),thenthepartneris“obliged”todothesame(follow-back).Ifsomeonehascommentedorpressedthe“like”buttononhisfriend’sstatus,thenhisfriendinotheroccasionshavetodothesameforthatperson.Ifsomeonedoesnotdothesamething,thisunfairbehaviorwouldhurttheirrelation.Unfairnessdoesnotsupportonlinefriendshiprelation.
Mutual SupportMutual interaction is thedeterminant factor forsustainableonlinerelation.Basedon thesurvey,somesubjectssaidthattheywantedtocancelfriendshipsorcompletelyremovefriendships,tobeignorantandunconcerned,asaformofretaliationbecausetheirfriendsdidnotinteractinmutuallyreciprocalmanner.
Mutualsupportisreflectedinbalancedandequalpositivemutualinteraction;“ifyouaregivengood things,youhave to turn thesame”,Friendshipends if there isno reciprocal interactionoronlyonepartyisactive(e.g.messagesarenotrespondedwellbybyreplying,notcommenting,andignoringitaltogether;refusetofollow-back,orrefusetoexchangeinformationbystayingprivate).
Whenapersondoesnotgettheexpectedfeedback,thenevenifhisorherpeerstatusisstillafriend,thepersonlosesthesenseoffriendship.Forpeopleinsocialmedia,friendsarepeoplewhowanttointeractreciprocally,mutually,andsupportivewiththem.Reciprocalandmutualrelationsareasourceofself-esteemandhappiness.Unresponsivenessisthreatforonlinefriendship.
Some examples of experiences when I don’t feel like being friends are when I start communicating but was not well responded, they give rudimentary answers, or they don’t want to participate/comment on what I write on my status. (Subject 38, questionnaire)In any social networking site, if there are interactions such as being addressed or greeted ... if we are treated as human being then we will also feel appreciated. Mutual greetings on Facebook, Twitter, and email are enough to show relationships. There are even groups or forum for discussion which is no different from the real world. Discussions can be done through social networking and the results are the same. The greetings and discussions, made me feel like my existence matters. I felt appreciated and acknowledged as a friend who are needed by others. The feeling of being acknowledged is especially strong when my online friend discusses and confides important matters to me. (Subject 44, questionnaire)
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CompanionshipFriendsarepartnertoperformactivitiestogether,bothinrealworldandincyberspace.Theexistenceofmutualandreciprocalrelationsdenotescompanionship.Evenifthereisnoface-to-faceinteractionand lacking in nonverbal cues during communication, companionship can still be built throughactivitiessuchaschatting,commentingorjokingaboutadisseminatedstatus,photo,information,news,orengagingindiscussionsinonlineforumoronlinecommunity.Romanticrelationshipscanbemaintainedthroughcompanionshipinsocialnetworks.Oneofthesubjectsinthisfocusgroupdiscussionstold:
Well people normally use Facebook to communicate with their girlfriend/boyfriend, right? I personally prefer to use Facebook chat or skype. Sometimes while waiting for him/her I’ll just play a game… (Subject IE, FGD)At that time, I just got accepted into the Faculty of Psychology UGM, and through my social network I got to meet with new friends who also got accepted into the same faculty. At first, we only chatted through Facebook, but later exchanged phone numbers until we became best friends at Campus (Subject 46).
Companionshipinonlinesocialmedia isnotasdeepandgoodas thecompanionshipin thefriendships formed in the real world. Although most people felt that online interaction lacks inproximity,emotionalattachment,andwarmth,itdoesnotclosethepossibilitythatitmightbringasenseofexcitement.Thisfactorisconsideredimportanttoimprovethequalityofofflinefriendshiprelationshipsthroughthesupportofonlinerelations.
Sharing BehaviorSharingisthegoalandprimaryactivityinsocialmedia,rangedfromsharingnewsorinformation,specific knowledge, life experiences, thoughts, to deep personal feelings. Sharing is a form ofexpressionandself-disclosure.Sharingisawaytogainrecognitionforexistenceinsocialmedia,toidentifyinterestsamongpeoplewhoarefriends,andtomaintainexistingrelationships.Lifeincyberspaceisdynamicwithpeoplewillingtoshare.Peoplewhodonotsharewillbelostorcut-offbecausesharingisthekeytoobtainmutualresponsethatdeterminesexistenceandrelationship.
However,notallsharingbehaviorsareacceptedbysocialmediausers.Someformsofsharingbehaviordegradethequalityoffriendshiporevendamageit,asitchangesthejudgmentofthepersonsharing.Theappropriatenessofsharingbehaviorisassessedthroughthecontentoftheinformationshared.Mostpeopleenjoyusefulknowledgeorinformation,relevantinterestsorhobbies,schoolassignments,andfunexperiences,buthate(feelinguncomfortablewith)inappropriatecontenttosharewiththepublic,suchasexcessive(overlyemotional)expression,extravagantshowofprivatelife,orunimportantandunworthytalks.
At that time, my friend was being very overly dramatic with the things he was facing, such as when he was rejected by a girl and felt suicidal. I became angry and annoyed. (Subject 3)… in Twitter, I just feel uncomfortable with the contents… sometimes he/she just blabbers about things that only discourage us… they comment on everything, even the smallest trivial things. (Subject IE, FGD)
Discussion: Online Friendship ModelBasedonthedefinitionanddimensionsfound,thedynamicsofonlinefriendshipisdescribedinFigure1.Onlinefriendshipisakindoffriendshipthattakesplaceinonlinesituation,involvestwotypesofpartnersi.e.strangersencounteredinSNSandknownofflinefriendsorrelatives.Thesetwotypesofpeoplearerespondeddifferentlybyindividualusers.Mostofflinefriendscanreadilybe
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acceptedasonlinefriendssothattheonlinefriendshipfunctionsasextensionofofflinefriendship.However,towardstrangers,individualsdoaseriesoffilteringasamanifestationofcautiousness.
Cautiousness affects one’s willingness to accept friendship invitations. Decision to approveinvitationisrelatedtoself-assurancethatthepartnerisnotadangerousperson.Publicprofiles,names,andtheexistenceofmutualfriendsareessentialbecausetheyaretheprimarysourceofinformationaboutapersoninthevirtualworld.Ifanonlineprofileseemsnotgenuine,thenthefriendrequestmostlikelywillbedeclined.
Twopeoplebecome“onlinefriends”whentwoaccountsareconnected,butthatconditiondoesnotnecessarilygeneraterealexperienceoffriendship.Bothpartiesneedtobeequallywillingtoestablishmutualandsupportiverelationshipsforthefriendshiptosurvive.Theexistenceofmutualandsupportiveinteractions(givingpositiveimpactsontheindividualsinvolved)isessentialbecauseitistheonlybasistojudgewhethersomeoneisagoodonlinefriend.Someonewillbeconsideredafriendevenifthemutualinteractionsareassimpleasexchangingmessages,liking,commentingonposts,andgivingbirthdaygreetingsonsocialmedia.MutualinteractionsshowamutuallyrewardingrelationshipamongSNSusers.
Mutualexchangesareillustratedinavarietyofsharingbehaviors,usuallyintheformofself-relatedinformation(personalexperience,thoughts,andfeelings)orgeneralinformation(news,stories,jokes).Thissharingturnsonsocialnetworkingsites,whilethecompanionshipthatpeopleexperiencebecomesasourceofjoywheninteractingonsocialnetworks.
Fromtimetotime,someonewillevaluatehis/heronlinefriendsandfriendshipstatus.Ifafriendprovideshim/hersecurefeeling,respect,andjoy,thenonlinefriendshipwouldbepreserved.Onlinefriendwillthenbeperceivedastruefriend.Otherwise,ifafrienddoesunpleasantactsanddisrespectstherelationship(e.g.,ignores),thenthefriendshipwouldloseitscredibility.Onemayavengethesameneglect,andonfurtheradversedevelopment,cancelthefriendship.
Study 1 produced important findings. First, seeing these in perspective of previous studies,we found that four out of five online friendship dimensions is cognate with aspects of offlinefriendship.Goodqualityfriendship,eitherinofflineoronlinesituations,demandssharingbehaviorandcompanionshipaswellasmutualsupportandvoluntariness(Collins&Madsen,2006;Rubin,Bukowski,&Parker,2006).Someaspects,suchascommitmentandintimacywilldeveloplateronceonlinefriendshipiseventuallytransformedintoanofflineormixed-modefriendship(Antheunis,Valkenburg,&Peter,2012;Mesch,2005).
Second,oneuniquedimensionstandsoutinonlinefriendship,i.e.cautiousness.Incyberspace,individualstendtobecautiousinestablishingnewrelationshipswithstrangers.Theydonoteasily
Figure 1. Online Friendship Model
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trustandacceptstrangerstobecomefriends.Coutiousnessismanifestedinseveralbehaviorssuchasbeingselectiveindisplayingbiodata,keepingcertainpersonalinformationsprivateorlimitedtopublic,refusingfriendinvitationsfrompeoplewithsuspiciouslyfakeprofile,andunhesitatinglypressing“unfollow”or“block”buttontoavoidunpleasantpeople.Allofthesearedrivenbyawarenessofthedangersofcyberspaceandneedofsecureenvironmentandpersonalsafety.Theseprecautionaryactionsareentirelyreasonable,primarilybecauseofthenatureofvirtualworldthatdoesnotallowonetoseetheotherpersondirectlyandsomeoftheinformationcontainedinitmightnotcorrespondtoreality(Deilbert,2012).
ReSULT OF STUDy 2: DeVeLOPMeNT OF ONLINe FRIeNDSHIP SCALe
Thesocialnetworkingschemeisbasedontheaspectsobtainedfromstudyresults1.Atleastfiveaspectsareusednamelycautiousness,voluntariness,companionship,sharing,andmutualsupport.TheresultsofthedifferencetestofOnlineFrienshipScaleitemsisdoneon43fifthsemesterstudentsofFacultyofPsychology,obtaining19itemsthathaveadiscriminationpowerofmorethan0.3.Theconstructvalidationisthenperformed.
The construct validation was carried out on 150 psychology students and analyzed usingexploratoryfactoranalysis.TheKaiserMeyerOlkinMeasureofSamplingAdequacyobtainedresultsof0.837.Theresultsareintherangeof0.5to1,asrecommendedbysomeexperts.Furthermore,Barlett’sTestSphericitywithchisquareapproachobtainedavalueof1174,1(p<0.05).ItcanbeconcludedthatthescaleoffriendshipinUGMsocialnetworkisappropriatelyanalyzedbyusingexploratoryfactoranalysis.ThefactorloadforthewholedimensioncanbeseeninTable2.
Thevarianceexplainedofthisscaleis60.287%,whiletheacceptablevarianceexplainedlimitof60%.Therearefourdimensionsobtainedbybasingontheeigenvalueofmorethanoneandeachfactorloadmorethan0.4(Hair,Anderson,TathamandBlack,2004),i.e.,sharing,voluntariness,companionship,andmutualsupport.ThereliabilitytestresultswithalphaCronbachof0.880.
DatafortheconfirmatoryfactoranalysisderivesfromtheadministrationofthemeasuringtooltoPsychologystudents(N=190).Theaimofthisanalysisistoprovethatthemeasurementmodeloftheonlinefriendshipconstructfitthebasictheory.Theconformitybetweenthemeasurementmodelandthedataobtainedshowsevidenceofconstructvalidity.
Themeasurementmodeldevelopedisthemeasurementmodeloftwolevels,thefirstlevelisthemeasuringconstructwhilethesecondlevelisthedimensionsofthemeasuringconstruct.Themodelmeasuredisamultidimensionalmodelthathasinterrelateddimensions.ThesecondorderCFAmodelaccommodatesthisconcept.Specifically,themeasurementmodeltestedinthisstudyisasimplificationofthemeasurementmodelthatcorrespondstothestructureandcompositionoftheitemsinthescale.Simplificationisdonebymergingtwotothreeitemsinonedimension.Thisisdonetoadjustthenumberofitemsbysamplesizeanditemcharacteristics.Someitemshaveaveryhighcorrelationbetweenitemsthatneedtobeone.
CFAanalysisofsecondorderconcludesthatonlinefriendshipconstructmeasurementmodelisinaccordancewiththedataobtained.Itshowsthatall themodel’saccuracyindexesfit thefitmodelcriteria.Thechi-squaredscoreis25,024(p>0.05)whichshowsthediscrepancybetweentheproposedmeasurementmodelandtheidealmodel,i.e.themodelthatcanexplainthediversityinthedata,showsnosignificantdifference.Inotherwords,themeasuredtestmodelisinaccordancewiththedataobtainedfromthemeasurementresults.Ontheotherhand,alldescriptiveindicesofmodelaccuracyalsoshowfindingsonmodelaccuracy.Thecomparativefitindices(CFI)indexis0.987andtheTuckerLewisIndices(TLI)scoreis0.977.Bothareabovethecriticalpointofacceptanceofthemodelaccuracyis0.90.Meanwhile,RootMeanSquareErrorofApproximation(RMSEA)scoreis0.056whichisbelow0.08.Thisresultindicatesthatallindexofmodelaccuracyisinaccordancewiththecriteriaofmodelaccuracy(seeFigure2).
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Parameterofthetestedmodelfoundthatallfactorloading,bothindicatoranddimension,scoresabove0.50.Theloadingfactorindicatormovesbetween0.664and0.988,whilethedimensionfactorloadingmovesbetween0.640and0.920.Allloadingfactorsaresignificantat5%level.
DISCUSSION
The exploratory factor analysis used to reduce the dimension of the Online Friendship Scale isconsideredentirelyappropriate.ThisisbasedontheresultsofKaiserMeyerOlkinMeasureofSideAdequacytestthatobtainedascoreof0.837.Theresultiswithintherangeof0.5and1(Hairetal,2004).Furthermore,avalueof1174,100(p<0.05)wasobtainedusingBarlett’sTestSphericitywithkaisquareapproachasrecommendedbyHairetal(2004).
Table 2. Factor Loads of Exploratory Factor Analysis of UGM’s Online Friendship Scale
No. Statement* Factor Load
In interacting with friends on social networks, how often do you: Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4
Sharing
1 Encouragethem .744
2 Shareexperiencewiththem .655
3 Shareinformationonactivitiesyoudidwithyourfriends
.565
4 Giveinspirationtothem .804
5 Congratulatethem .499
Voluntariness .499
6 Talkaboutcommonthingswiththem .542
7 Sendmessageswhenyouareonline .685
8 Receiveachatreplyfromyourfriend .711
9 Chatcasuallywiththemonsocialnetwork .728
10 Givecommentstoeachother(withfriends) .512
Companionship
11 Asknewsonyourfriendonsocialnetwork. .452
12 Careabouttheactivitiesthatyourfriendsdo .551
13 Talkabouteverydayactivities .640
14 Makeanappointmenttomeet .603
15 Openupaboutmypastfailings .637
Mutual Support
16 Likeastatus/postwithyourfriendsonsocialnetwork
.852
17 Respondtoastatus/postwithyourfriendonsocialnetwork
.621
18 Likeyourfriend’sstatus/post .787
19 Getrespond(like/comment)onyourstatus/postonsocialnetworkfromfriends
.449
* This English version of Online Friendship Scale is translated from Bahasa Indonesia.
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Thefactorloadforthewholedimension,whichincludessharing,voluntariness,companionship,andmutualsupport,isbasedontheexploratoryfactoranalysis.Themostsignificantdimensionscontributing variance are sharing (30.197%), voluntariness (8.576%), companionship (8.256%),andmutualsupport (7.369%)andunidentified(5.889%).Testing throughCFAconfirms that theonlinefriendshipscaleismultidimensionalandhasinterrelateddimensions.Forfurtherexplanationregardingconceptofmultidimensional testwithcorrelateddimensions, readerscanconsultwithFurrandBacharach(2008).
Inthiscontext,thesharingdimension(e.g.sharingknowledge)isthelargestvariancecontributor.Thisprovidesarelevantoverviewoftheparticipants‘characteristics.Theprimarytaskofthestudentsistogainacademicachievementanddevelopgreatsocialrelations.Theattemptstohaveacademicachievementareinseparablefrominnovativeandcreativebehavior.Thedimensionofknowledgesharingprovidesapositivecontributiontoinnovativebehavior(Helmi&Pertiwi,2012).Itisthusunderstandablethatsharingknowledge,whetherintheformofdata,information,orexperience,isanessentialtoolinthecompletionofacademictasks(Helmi&Pertiwi,2012.,Majid&Panchapakesan,2015).
A person who can share knowledge usually focuses on task completion as their motivationtogainachievement(Kasim,2015).Theyshareknowledgebecausetheyhavethesamepurpose.Therefore,socialnetworkingisoftenusedasameansoptimizedfor thecompletionofacademictasks,giventheirlimitationstomeeteachotherface-to-face.Thus,itcanbestatedthatthesharingofknowledgecontributestothevariant,implyingthattheytooexistintherealworld.Socialmediaactasamediator.Thesesocialnetworkingusersarenotworriedabouttheproblemsthatappearinsocialnetworkingmedia.Forexample,whethertheycanbetrustedornot;whethertheycanappreciatetheircampusfriends.
Severalotherdimensionsoffriendshiparevoluntarinesscontributes10.576%,ofthevariance,companionship 10.256%, and mutual support 9.369%. These three dimensions have behavioralindicatorsforinterpersonalrelationshipsandnotforcompletingtasks.Whentheuserconsidersthesedimensions,thenthesethreedimensionsreferstointerrelatedstagesoffriendship.
Social penetration theory can be used to explain the psychological dynamics of the threedimensions,suchaswhensocialnetworkusersarewillingtoperformsocialinteractionthatislimited
Figure 2. Loading Factors Analysis
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toperipheralthings.Alongwiththepassageoftime,thefriendshipwillbemoreintensive;fromordinaryfriendstogoodfriends.
Operationally,manybehaviorsreflectcompanionship,startingfromthedesiretokeepsocialinteractionuptoface-to-facemeetingsandrecountingfailures.Behavioralindicatorsthatindicateintimateexplorationwasnotevident.Whensomeoneinteractsonasocialnetworktheactualbehaviorismeanttoberelatedtoallonlinecommunitiesthroughpublicchannels.Therefore,one’sresponsetootherswillalsobeknownbymembersofthesocialnetworkingcommunity.Itisasdescribedbysocialnetworkanalysisfromthesocioculturalperspective.Companionshipandsocialsupportareexpectedwhensomeoneisintertwinedinsocialnetworking.Therefore,thethirdandfourthdimensionsonthisscalerelatetocompanionshipandmutualsupport.Thisisinaccordancewithsocialneedtheoryandsocialnetworkanalysist,whichstatesthatindividualsformrelationshipstofulfilltheneedforself-validationandcompanionship(Buhrmester,inTalmud&Mesch,2006).
CONCLUSION
BasedonStudy1and2results,itcanbeconcludedthatindividuals,particularlyadolescents,havetheneedtoestablishrelationshipswithpeersinaccordancewiththeneedtobelongtheory.Informationtechnology has become a mediator for relationships among friends on social networks. OnlinefriendshipisportrayedbyTalmudandMesch(2006)astheonlinerelationshipbetweenadolescents,occurringatdifferentlevelsofgroups,schools,andcountries.
Whenviewedfromadolescents’stagedevelopment,HelmiandPertiwi(2012)showedthatthereisadifferencebetweentheneedsofhighschoolstudentsandcollegestudentswhenjoiningsocialnetworkcommunity.Highschool students still require self-verification,having to reinforce theirpersonalidentity.Atthisstage,theyarestillinsearchfortheirpersonalidentity.Meanwhile,collegestudentsareatthefinalstageofdevelopment,enteringearlyadulthood.Forthem,thefulfillmentofthesedevelopmentaltasksisinpreparationforenteringtheprofessionalworld,bridgedbyacademicachievement.
Academicachievementisabridgetoperformverticalmobility.Thismeansthataftertheyhaveadegree,theyarefacedwiththetasktopursueacareerinthefutureandwillelevatetheirsocialstatus.Therefore, inUGM’sOnlineFriendshipScale, thebiggestcontribution is thesharingdimension(30.197%).Inthiscontext,socialmediaisnotusedtomeettheneedtoestablishrelationshipswitholdfriendsoraddnewrelationships,butratherserveasamediumforsharingusefulinformation,data,orexperiences.
Thissharingdimensionisadistinguishingfeaturetopreviousfriendshipscalesthathavebeendevisedsofar,whichfocusedmoreonfriendshipintherealworld.FriendshipQualityQuestionnaire-Revised(FQQ-Parker&Asher,1993)revealsdimensionsofcompanionship/recreation,validation/caring, help/guidance, intimate disclosure, conflict/betrayal and conflict resolution. Similarly,FriendshipQualitiesScale(FQS-Bukowski,Hoza,&Boivin,1994)alsocomprisesthedimensionsofcompanionship,help,security,closeness,andconflict.
Basedon thequalityof two friendship scales, adolescents’ friendshipactsmoreas a socialfunctionamongfriends.Onanonlinefriendshipscale,however,itappearsthatthetaskcompletionfunction(particularlyacademictask)becomesmoreprominent.Otherfindingsinthisstudyindicatethatonline friendship is less involved indeepaffectionaspects.This research is the first step inpreparingtheconceptandconstructionofonlinefriendship.Furtherresearchisexpectedtodevelopconceptsandconstructsofonlinefriendshipbyinvolvingabroadersubject.
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Avin Fadilla Helmi is a Lecturer of Social Psychology in Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, with speciality in cyber behavior and psychological measurement. In this research, she contributed on online friendship theory development, reseach design, and scale construction.
Wahyu Widhiarso is a Lecturer of Psychometrics in Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. He was responsible for CFA of this research.
Aftina Nurul Husna is a Lecturer in Faculty of Psychology and Humanities, Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang, with speciality in qualitative methodology. She conducted qualitative analysis for this research using grounded-theory technique.