This presentation explores how friendship and well-being are conceptualized and operationalized. Drawing on data and design insights from three years of the American Friendship Project, I will discuss assumptions embedded in existing measures and past findings regarding the state of friendship and well-being. This work contributes to ongoing efforts to improve alignment between how we study social connection and our theoretical understandings of social life.

Natalie Pennington is an associate professor of communication at Colorado State University. Her research interests are in interpersonal communication and communication technology, with a primary focus on friendship. She has published over 30 journal articles, including studies in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and Communication Monographs.