Social networking Web sites have simplified communication between people around the world, but Aaron Krasnow of ASU’s Counseling and Consultation department said focusing too much on Web sites like Facebook could contribute to homesickness.

Through Facebook, students are constantly able to see what their friends and families are doing.

Krasnow, the associate director of counseling and consultation on the Tempe campus, said his department sees a lot of students who come in because they’re feeling homesick.

“Most people who like their normal environment will miss it when they move, so homesickness is actually a very normal, very expected thing for most people,” he said.

ASU’s more than 40,000 in-state students may seem to have it easier because they can visit home, but Krasnow said this could be making things more difficult.

Students that go home more often, lose an opportunity to get involved within the school or to meet new people, he said.

In the case of Facebook, what contributes to homesickness is what users focus on, Krasnow said.

“If they focus on all the ways that home is better than where they are now,” he said, “that’s probably going to increase their homesickness to see all those things.”

The key to using Facebook while away from home is to keep it balanced, he said.

Hillary Greene, a Spanish language junior, said she has learned how to find that balance.

While being away from her friends from high school Greene said she often used Facebook to keep in touch.

“It was comforting for me,” she said.

Civil engineering freshman Davenn Mannix moved to ASU last week.

“I’d rather not lose touch with family and friends and I think Facebook is a good way to keep in touch,” he said.

Mannix said he immediately got involved in many clubs and honors societies at ASU, but he sees how other students may have problems connecting.

“Some people are too worried about what’s going on back in their hometown and trying to keep up with that when they’re so far away,” he said.

Krasnow said students need to remember that while everything they left at home is good, there are a lot of great experiences their new home has to offer.

“The more they do comparisons where home wins, the more difficult it is for them to overcome homesickness,” Krasnow said.

Reach the reporter at vajones2@asu.edu.