MA, Kent State University, 2011, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

As the use of Facebook continues to grow, individuals aged 35 and older represent the fastest growing demographic. Parents and children now have the opportunity to connect with each other through the website. However, research investigating parent/child Facebook interaction remains scarce. This thesis utilizes Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to better understand young adults' decisions regarding parental Facebook friend requests. In addition, the relational characteristics of parental trust and relational quality are examined in relation to young adults' decisions. Results indicate young adults generally accept friend requests from their parents while making few, if any, changes to their privacy management practices. Parental trust and relational quality are related to young adults' decisions when faced with a mother's friend request, but not those received from a father. Explanations for the differences in results by parent are elucidated. This study adds to a growing body of research demonstrating that individuals use Facebook to connect with a multitude of face-to-face social ties and addresses implications for this phenomenon.

Committee: Jeffrey Child Ph.D. (Advisor); Mei-Chen Lin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jung Hyun Kim Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Families and Family Life; Mass Media