Scope and Method of the Study. This study examines Facebook usage and the relationship online social networking has to academic and social integration. Using a focus group approach, twelve participants at a research land-grant institution were interviewed to explore how they used Facebook to enhance their overall social integration into collegiate life and overall campus experience.

Findings and Conclusions. This study uncovered several emergent themes of Facebook usage regarding motivation of usage, safety concerns, community development, and issues regarding privacy. Lastly, the study found that student communication with the campus community and social integration with college culture may start well-before enrollment on campus. In other words, students forge communication channels with the college culture in high school through Facebook. The influence of online social networks like Facebook in the everyday social experience of undergraduate students cannot be denied, and the boundaries between the virtual world of Facebook and the actual campus community are not exclusive of each other. More needs to be learned of the social ramifications of Facebook on the college experience.