alter this research question so that it aligns with a different research design. Then, justify why this change would be worth researching from a social psychology perspective. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My Research question is are online friendships just as important (meaningful) as real-world friendships. The reason I want to pursue this question is some of my best friends I have met and know online (Facebook), The cool thing is I am going to Sacramento California to meet and visit one of my best friends I have made on Facebook. According to Psychology Today, its usually pretty easy to build an online support network through formal and informal pathways, whether youre seeking advice on a particular topic or responding to others posts or to those who respond to your own social media posts (Degges-White, 2020). I for one do find tremendous support in my online friendships as well as when I post in my various support groups. For instance last night I posted in my ladys support group that I needed prayer because I was having a heart procedure done today (TEE test). The support I got from my ladies group made me feel more confident knowing I had a few thousand ladies in my corner. Likewise, I find more one on one support from my Facebook friends. Methods- The method of research I believe is appropriate for her is observational and this falls under the quantitative research method. According to our textbook, the observation method is where a researcher watches people and very carefully record their observations of the persons behavior (Wilson, Akert., & Sommers, 2019). What I would like to do is observe my clients (Steve) interaction of both his real world friends and also his online friends. I want to see what friendships offer more support for him. I find I can tell my online friends anything without being Judged. I have found that real-world friends can be more judgmental. Plus I dont have to worry about how I am dressed or how my appearance is with my online friends. Some of my friends are both my real-world friends and online friends than you have the best of both worlds. References Degges-White, S. (2020, May 29). Do Online Friendships Differ From Face-to-Face Friendships? Psychology today. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.) (2019). Social Psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
