In fact, the use of Facebook, an online tool designed to connect students with one another (Kim, 2005), has a negative effect on students’ peer relationships. While Facebook does provide students with an opportunity to communicate with one another, it may not be as conducive to developing relationships as fully or deeply as direct contact would allow. This may be because students use Facebook as a substitute for direct contact or because the kinds of interaction that dominate Facebook do not promote independence as much as other forms of contact. Treuer and Belote (1997) raised a similar concern about “cocooning,” in which students withdraw from social environments; technology may offer ways to avoid direct interaction with peers and therefore impede psychosocial development.
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