Page 136 - Never Too Far Away? The Roles of Social Network Sites in Sojourners’ Adjustment

social network perspective on relationship support, which assumes that: social networks are possible sources of relationship-related social support that promote a sense of stability and satisfaction of couple members about their romantic relationships (Felmlee, 2001). Via SNSs, romantic couples are able to build and maintain a shared network (Tong & Walther, 2011). This could prove particularly relevant for those in LDRR, considering that they might have geographically separated social networks, or one of them is away from their established support networks (Weiner & Hannum, 2012). Comparing LDRR (of sojourners) from GCRR using an online survey, the results revealed that SNS use predicted higher access to SNS relationship support in LDRR and GCRR which, in turn, predicted perceived relationship stability and satisfaction in LDRR; and only perceived relationship satisfaction in GCRR. However, SNS use had direct negative impacts on relationship satisfaction in GCRR and on perceived relationship stability in LDRR. SNS use and SNS relationship support were not associated with relationship stability in GCRR. The findings validated the relative importance of SNS use in the survival of LDRR.
Integration of the Key Findings and Theoretical Implications
The implications of the key findings in the various studies have been discussed in detail at the end of the corresponding empirical chapters. In this section, I will integrate the various key findings of the empirical chapters, and discuss their theoretical implications. A summary of the theoretical contributions will be provided at the end of this section.
SNS interaction: A Double-edged Sword
How and to what extent do SNS interactions relate to sojourners’ adjustment? This dissertation demonstrated that any answer to the overarching research question must consider the social interaction contexts, the conceptualizations of SNS interaction and subjective outcomes, the directions of associations, and temporal lags. This is important in characterizing the complex, and somewhat paradoxical, roles of SNS in sojourners’ adjustment.
SNS social interaction contexts. To clarify the role of SNS in adjustment, one must consider who sojourners interact with, such as the home- or the host- country networks in a broad relational context (Chapters 2 and 3) , as well as
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