Cellular Phones Influence(s) and Impacts(s) on Social Interactions and Interpersonal Relationships

This paper seeks to explore how cellular phones (cell phones/mobiles) have influenced and impacted social interactions and interpersonal relationships. There have been a number of suggested theories and studies that have been contributed to the rising popularity and commonality of cell phones as to how they are affecting the way individuals are interacting in society. Some of these include, a change in the concept of time and space (Fortunati, 2002), lack of face-to-face interaction (Thompson and Cupples, 2008), the maintenance of relationships, social absences, and social dependency (Reid and Reid, 2004). In addition to these ideas, it has also been suggested that the use of cell phones has had a negative affect on social relationships, grammar, and increased social anxiety (Tully, 2003)

In-Person Contact Begets Calling and Texting: Interpersonal Motives for Cell Phone Use, Face-to-Face interaction, and Loneliness

This study examined how cell-phone use is related to interpersonal motives for using cell phones, face-to-face communication, and loneliness. A survey of 232 college students who owned a cell phone revealed that affection and inclusion were relatively strong motivations for using voice calls and text messaging, and that interpersonal motives were positively related to the amount of cell-phone use, including calling and texting. The amount of face-to-face interaction was positively associated with the participants' cell-phone use and their interpersonal motives for using cell phones: the more the participants engaged in face-to-face interaction with other people, the higher their motives were and the more frequent cell-phone use was. Loneliness did not have a direct relation to cell-phone use. Instead, the participants with higher levels of loneliness were less likely to engage in face-to-face social interaction, which led them to use cell phones less and to be less motivated to use cell phones for interpersonal purposes.Communication Studie

Mixed Signals: The Effects of Cell Phones on College Student Involvement

American college students lead the United States of America in cell phone use. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative methodology to learn the lived experience of college student cell phone users and the effects of cell phones on co-curricular learning, per Alexander Astin’s (1986) theory of involvement. The rapid rise and evolution of the cell phone impacts student behavior and learning. The results of the study indicated that cell phones promote student participation with peers and on-campus programs, but are unlikely to affect involvement with faculty or staff. Experientially, participants were critical of their peers’ cell phone behavior, feared missing out, and favored face-to-face to communication in almost all contexts. Nevertheless, participants perceived cell phones mostly positively, even though they described the devices’ undesired effects most frequently, believing cell phones are necessary to stay socially connected and informed during college

Discovering how lower grade university students spend their free time with media: The generation y scenario / Azniza Ahmad Zaini, Nor Aziah Abd Kadir and Mohd Zahid Laton

This study was conducted to discover how lower grade students of Generation Y at one higher education institution in the East Coast Malaysia spend their free time with media. It is crucial for educators and parents to understand the role of media in young people’s lives as media is among the most powerful forces in the young people’s lives today. Media is also able to influence the activities that Generation Y students are engaged in during their free time because they are born in the digital age. The respondents for the study were lower grade students from a public university in Malaysia. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the respondents and the sample was obtained using a non-probability sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results from this study are hoped to provide educators and parents with valuable information on the impact of media on youths, specifically the lower grade students at higher education institution

Lights, Camera, Anxiety: The Spotlight Effect, Social Anxiety and the Perception of Gaze Direction

The goal of the current project was to replicate and extend research on the spotlight effect, a term used to describe the feeling of being the focus of others’ attention (Gilovich, Medvec, & Savitsky, 2000). The spotlight effect has been linked to social anxiety, or the fear of negative social evaluation and scrutiny (Lipton, Weeks, Daruwala, & Reyes, 2016); however, there is little literature on how the spotlight effect might be linked to distorted perceptions of others’ gaze direction (averted or direct). To address this gap in the literature, methods and materials from research on social anxiety, the spotlight effect, and eye gaze were combined. Participants completed measures of social anxiety, rated faces in a reaction time paradigm, and responded to vignettes that described typical, but mildly uncomfortable, social situations. Half of the participants completed the study in a darkened room with no researcher present, and half completed the same study with overhead lights on and a researcher present. The hypothesis that being observed by a researcher would prime the spotlight effect, particularly in those who scored higher in social anxiety, was supported. The effect was strongest in responses to vignettes, where trait self-consciousness of observed participants predicted the degree to which they felt attention and a spotlight would be on them, and that they would be obligated to represent their in-group. There was less support for the hypothesis that judgments of eye gaze would be similarly biased by researcher observation

Increased Levels of Anxiety Revealing Characteristics of Social Phobia Elucidated by Smartphone Use

Students at the University of Central Florida completed two self-report inventories: the SPAI-23, (Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory - 23) and MPPUS (Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale) to determine if there is a relationship between social phobia and problematic mobile phone use. Fifty one students (N = 51) completed both surveys and the results indicated that there was a small but positive relationship between problematic cell phone use and social phobia symptoms, r=.28, p=.05. The results are discussed in terms of how social phobia might increase problematic phone use

Problematic mobile phone use and smartphone addiction across generations: the roles of psychopathological symptoms and smartphone use

Contemporary technological advances have led to a significant increase in using mobile technologies. Recent research has pointed to potential problems as a consequence of mobile overuse, including addiction, financial problems, dangerous use (i.e. whilst driving) and prohibited use (i.e. use in forbidden areas). The aim of this study is to extend previous findings regarding the predictive power of psychopathological symptoms (depression, anxiety and stress), mobile phone use (i.e. calls, SMS, time spent on the phone, as well as the engagement in specific smartphone activities) across Generations X and Y on problematic mobile phone use in a sample of 273 adults. Findings revealed prohibited use and dependence were predicted by calls/day, time on the phone and using social media. Only for dependent mobile phone use (rather than prohibited), stress appeared as significant. Using social media and anxiety significantly predicted belonging to Generation Y, with calls per day predicted belonging to Generation X. This finding suggests Generation Y are more likely to use asynchronous social media-based communication, whereas Generation X engage more in synchronous communication. The findings have implications for prevention and awareness-raising efforts of possibly problematic mobile phone use for educators, parents and individuals, particularly including dependence and prohibited use