How Constructions of Interpersonal Responsibility Shape Undergraduate Student Networks in Times of Social Distancing

Abstract

Since Spring 2020, college students have experienced rapid and unpredictable shifts in their social and academic worlds. As institutions implemented social distancing policies, students had to navigate unstable norms related to peer interaction while negotiating what it meant to act responsibly to ensure their own safety and help their communities. Drawing on a network-based approach to pro-social behavior, we conducted a study of undergraduate students’ frequent interaction networks at one research university during Fall 2020 to better understand how students constructed and were influenced by their peer relationship patterns. We observed a typology of student relationship patterns based on the structure and physical location of relationships. This typology had important implications for how students assessed risk and expressed care. While students engaged in different behaviors related to social distancing, they all believed they were making a concerted effort to keep their frequent contacts safe.