Notification pending: Online social support from close and nonclose relational ties via Facebook

• Study revisits role of strong and weak ties in affording social support via Facebook.
• A lab study assessed characteristics of commenters on Facebook status posts.
• Findings indicate strong ties still provide greater social support than weak ties.
• Weak ties are significantly more common on Facebook with high level of social support.
• Results examined deal with social support, social network sites, weak tie theory.

Previous research has often assumed social support as a unique affordance of close relationships. Computer-mediated communication alters the availability of relationally nonclose others, and may to enable additional sources or social support through venues like social networking sites. Eighty-eight college students completed a questionnaire based on their most recent Facebook status updates and the comments those updates generated. Items queried participants’ perception of each response as well as the participants’ relationship closeness with the responder. Individuals perceived as relationally close provide significant social support via Facebook; however, individuals perceived to be relationally nonclose provided equal social support online. While SNSs has not eroded the importance of close relationships, results demonstrate the social media tools may allow for social support to be obtained from nonclose as well as close relationships, with access to a significant proportion of nonclose relationships.