Facebook-Induced Friend Shift and Identity Shift: A Longitudinal Study of Facebook Posting and Collegiate Drinking.

While research has indicated that perceiving alcohol-related posts on Facebook can be predictive of future alcohol consumption for college students, little research has considered the consequences of posting about alcohol on future behavior. The purpose of this study was to consider the pathways through which alcohol-related posts on Facebook may lead to increased drinking among the college students who make these posts. Incoming college freshmen (310 participants) from 2 universities were interviewed before their freshman year of college (T1) and again 1 year later (T2), and their Facebook profiles were evaluated for alcohol-related posts during the academic year. A positive attitude toward alcohol before freshman year was positively related to drinking activity before sophomore year. This relationship was mediated by alcohol-related Facebook posts during the academic year and the percentage of friends reported to be drinkers before sophomore year. Theoretically, this is evidence of identity shift online, as well as a Facebook-induced friend shift. These findings highlight the role that Facebook may play in both identity development and friendship cultivation for college freshmen, and offer insight into future collegiate drinking prevention and intervention initiatives.