During the Covid-19 pandemic, more people started to use the internet and social networks more frequently, so there was an increase in activity on social networks. Research to date on the impact of social networking on social support and loneliness levels is mixed, but overall social networking is expected to have a positive impact on individuals' well-being and mental health. In this thesis, I investigate the role of Facebook in students' social support and loneliness levels during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using an online questionnaire posted on my personal Facebook profile and in six groups of student dormitory residents (N = 152), I find that students actively sought social support both on Facebook and offline during the Covid-19 pandemic, the latter to a slightly greater extent. On Facebook, students mainly sought informational support and socialisation, while offline they mainly sought instrumental and emotional support. The mean of the comparison of satisfaction with social support obtained on Facebook versus offline social support is within middle values. Therefore, students were not overly satisfied with the social support they received on Facebook compared to offline social support. Feelings of loneliness were experienced to some extent. There were no gender differences in feelings of loneliness. Active use of Facebook indicates lower levels of loneliness for some users and passive use indicates higher levels, but this cannot be generalised to all students due to statistical uncertainties. The findings contribute to further understanding of the situation and feelings of students during the Covid-19 pandemic and the role of Facebook.
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