Research Proposal

I have family members that live in distant places such as California, Maryland, Columbia, and even as far as Israel. It is very hard to see them because of how much it costs to fly overseas and hotel arrangements. I have never met some family members because of this reason. However, with Facebook, I can interact with them as much as possible. Facebook has been a technological boom since 2004. Through this website, I can look at my relatives’ photos, private message them, play games with them, and write posts on their “wall”. This website is making relationships reconnect and last. I created a Facebook for this exact reason. I have become friends with my family from all over. Because of my personal connection, I am doing this research essay on how people interact with relatives and friends through Facebook. I would like to research how people interact, who they reconnect with, and how far they are reconnecting. To explore my question, I plan on asking my friends and family who have a Facebook account. From there, I will ask them how they use Facebook, who they reconnect with and where that family member lives. I feel that this is important because in the next generation, a child will want to know where their family comes from and family members want to see the child grow up. I have two cousins that are two and four-years-old and I always smile when I see pictures of them through Facebook. Also, I always get the latest news on what is happening with my family and friends. I always see engagements, baby announcements, graduation, and even as little as birthdays. Facebook may just be one website but it holds many relationships together including mine.