Making friends in cyberspace

The importance of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for comparing the group that communicates face-to-face (FtF) in cyberspace is discussed. In online relationship, network convergence would imply not only that participants were introduced one another's online contacts, but also to people in their real-life social network. The growth of CMC poses new challenges for understanding of social relationships both in cyberspace and in general. The goal of such understanding is to provide an empirical reference point for evaluating conflicting visions of social life in cyberspace by exploring the prevalence and development of personal relationships.