occurs (Pl, 1998; Johnson, Staten & Jorgensen-Earp, 1995). Communication technologies (such as cell phone and different forms of internet communication) are important tools in the lives of college students as they make it possible to stay in touch both with family and friends back home and with new friends at college (Leung, 2001; Duggan, 2004; Cummings et al, 2006; Quan-Haase, 2007).
             Previous research on the uses of communication technologies among college students suggest that college students are indeed 'power users' of communication technologies. Recent results from Quan-Haase (2007) reveal that instant messaging is a popular mode of communication among college students. Although most research suggests that face-to-face communication remains the dominant mode of interpersonal contact (Baym, Zhang & Lin, 2004; Cummings et al., 2007), in Quan-Haase's study instant messaging even surpassed face-to-face communication as the most frequent form of communication among college students. Although Quan-Haase's results for cell phone use were on the low side, a 2006 study of college freshmen indicates that freshmen use their phones as frequently as they use their instant messengers (Cummings et al., 2006). Since cell phone coverage has expanded and become less expensive in today's society this seems to be the preferred method of communication among college students. Email is generally used a little less frequently, but still very regularly among college students (Quan-Haase, 2007).
             There has been considerable work done on how relationships form over the Internet, however, relatively few studies have examined how individuals use this channel to maintain relationships that originally began face-to-face (Boneva, Kraut & Frohlich, 2001; Stafford, Kline, & Dimmick, 1999). Cummings and Kraut (2002) claimed, "the growth in the number of Americans online means that people can use the Internet to keep in touch with ...