CELL PHONES AND FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION| 1

Why Do Younger People Enjoy Communicating by

Cell Phones Instead of Face-to-Face Interaction?

Tyler Cregut and Eric Elias

Abstract 2
Introduction 3
Review of Literature 3
Texting 3
Loneliness, shyness, and anxiety 3
Preference of confrontation using cell phones 4
Shift to cell phones as media distribution 5
Mobile phone usage and students 5
Interpersonal motives for cell phone use 6
Research Method 7
Participants and Procedures 7
Measures 8
Primary Findings 8
Shyness 9
Conflict 9
Bibliography 10
Appendixes 12
Table 112
Chart 1 15
Chart 2 16
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine communication via cell phones and face-to-face

interaction. After surveying fifty-seven students ranging from ages eighteen to twenty-six, the

results showed that while the use of cell phones has increased overtime, most individuals prepare

communicating face-to-face rather through their cell phones. The exceptions to the results were

those who claimed to be shy or when the respondents wanted to resolve a conflict with their

parents or significant other.

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Introduction

With the rise of modern technology and the number of people that have cell phones, it is

important to understand if people are interacting through their cell phones more than

communicating in person. To better understand the logic of the shift from communicating face-

to-face to cell phones, a survey was given with different scenarios to let respondents rate their

responses on a scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. This survey and study was

conducted in order to see if communication is becoming primarily a technological source or still

a face-to-face ritual. If the results of the study did show that cell phone use is the primary

channel for communication, the question of what is the reasoning behind using cell phones for

communication then has to be determined.

Review of Literature

Texting

Texting is one of the main forms of communication via cell phones. Lenhart and Purcell

surveyed 12-17 year olds and found that respondents that answered they text their friends on a

daily basis increased from 38% to 54% from 2008 to 2009. Teenagers face-to-face

communication out of school rose from 29% to 33%, but it still does not compare to the amount

of communication through cell phone usage instead.

Loneliness, shyness, and anxiety

A study on smartphone addiction (Bian and Leung) explores how psychological attributes can

lead to a shift to preferring cell phone usage over face to face communication. Shyness and
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loneliness are the two main contributors leading to cell phone addiction. Instead of trying to

overcome shyness and loneliness, those suffering retreat to their cell phones. As cell phones

improve, young people are becoming increasingly dependent on them for mediated interpersonal

communication. They also have begun to rely on cell phones as an entertainment source (Bian

and Leung). This source can give an idea of why people turn to cell phones over face-to-face

communication. For example: as a way to escape the loneliness and shyness that they suffer

from.

In a study of 280 high school students, a positive relationship between social anxiety (not

comfortable talking with others face-to-face) and (1) talking with others online and (2) talking

with others via text messaging, (Pierce). Pierce found a correlation between those with social

anxiety and using cell phones to overcome that anxiety. This study helps prove that cell phones

keep us in our safe-zones, and can be another reason why people choose cell phones over face-

to-face interaction.

Preference of confrontation using cell phones

Mediated communication is integral in relationships working in todays society (Jin 2013).

Mediated communication, however, can hurt relationships due to perceived intent. In face-to-face

communication, perceived intent is normally clear, while in cell phone communication,

perceived intent is left up to the interpretation of the victim. This gives this study the idea that

confrontations tend to happen more over cell phone due to the mediated affect that cell phones

give. Relationships have become more and more dependent on cell phones due to the frequency

they are used to communicate.

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Shift to cell phones as media distribution

The global community is largely shifting to cell phones as a method of distributing and

redistributing media (Clark 2013). Individuals are incredibly dependent on phones that they have

become critical in several aspects of everyday life. They are being used to communicate, of

course, as well as send photos and videos. People have begun to use their phones as sources of

news as internet access is mobile with a cell phone. Online banking has also become more

popular as it is more convenient that participating in face-to-face communication with a banker.

The shift to cell phone has even led to laws being created to stop dangerous behavior with

phones such as texting and driving (Clark 2013). This study addresses the affect that cell phones

are having on face-to-face communication. The more advanced cell phones begin, the more there

is a shift to cell phone communication. Face-to-face communication is becoming unnecessary

with the services that cell phones provide.

Mobile phone usage and students

Mobile phones have had an impact on student learning (Kuznekoff and Titsworth 2013). Mobile

phones have not only provided new ways of learning but have also provided new distractions for

students in the class room. Cell phones serve as distractions that could hurt face-to-face

communication as they are constantly using their phones. Instructors in classrooms now have to

compete for the attention of the students (Kuznekoff and Titsworth 2013). This article

contributes to the report by examining more causes of why cell phones affect face-to-face

communication. The reason being is that cell phones simply distract one from engaging in face-

to-face communication or learning.

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Similar to this study, McCoy (2013) surveyed college students to determine why they use their

cell phones during classes, and the answers are not surprising: Texting was the top response at

85.9%. It was followed by Checking the time, at 79%, Email at 67.9%, Social Networking at

66%, Web surfing at 38%, Games at 8 percent, and Other at 4.4 percent (McCoy 2013).

McCoys survey shows that even in settings that using cell phones is looked down up, people

rely so heavily on them that they disengage from face-to-face interaction and resort to using their

phones instead.

Interpersonal motives for cell phone use

There are different motives for preferring cell phone use over face-to-face communication. Two

categories of motives are intrinsic and instrumental motives (Jin and Park 2010). Intrinsic

motives touch on ones need for companionship. Cell phone use provides an opportunity for

constant companionship because people can be contacted so easily. Instrumental motives refer to

the use of cell phones for purposes such as seeking information or making appointments. These

are more things that can be done face-to-face that are being replaced with cell phone usage. This

provides this study with an insight to the different motives as to why people choose cell phones

over in-person communication. It, however, also specifies that the more one communicates with

another face-to-face, the more likely they are to continue to communicate with them over cell

phone (Jin and Park 2010). This provides an alternative viewpoint that face-to-face

communication can lead to more cell phone communication.

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A study by Jiang, L., & Hancock, J. (2013) examined 67 couples in long-distance relationships

and found that the couples were more intimate with one another. Jiang and Hancock show that

using cell phones can be vital in making long-distance relationships work, and can add more

intimacy to a relationship compared to a close-distance couple. This companionship many

receive through using cell phones and developing more intimate interpersonal relationships can

help understand why many use their cell phones more than face-to-face interaction.

Research Method

Participants and Procedures

Students in Slippery Rock University participated in an optional survey that was distributed to

them through mass email. Participants were given several different scenarios describing where

one might choose to use his or her cell phone rather than speak face-to-face. Participants would

indicate if they agreed with the scenario by marking their answer on a Likert Scale. For example,

students would be given a scenario such as I am shy and mark their answer on a scale from

strongly disagree to strongly agree. Fifty-seven students participated in this survey. The sample

included seventeen males (29.8% of the sample), thirty-nine females (68.4% of the sample), and

one non-conforming to a gender (1.8% of the sample). Ages ranged from age eighteen, being the

youngest, to age twenty-six being the oldest. Two age, twenty-five and twenty-six, are outlier as

the majority of age ranges from eighteen to twenty-one.

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Measures

To assess preference to cell phones over face-to-face communication, statements were created by

Tyler Cregut and Eric Elias. Participants rated their agreement with each statement, such as I

prefer to email my professor rather than see them in person, using a Likert scale ranging from

strongly disagree to strongly agree (five different options). Statements began in a more broad

fashion, giving participants a chance to evaluate themselves before answering more specific

questions. The more specific statements would likely relate back to the participants answers to

the broader statements. For example, I prefer to email my professor rather than see them in

person could have been responded to differently depending on what the participant marked for

his or her response to I am shy. It would have been beneficial to the study to find some sort of

correlation.

Primary Findings

The twenty-two item survey was designed to assess if there was a preference to cell phone

communication over face-to-face communication. Responses were collected from fifty-seven

college students from Slippery Rock University through an optional survey distributed through

email. The general assessment of this survey is that, despite the prevalence of cell phones, this

sample would prefer to speak face-to-face when given the opportunity. When given statements

seven, twelve, sixteen, and eighteen (see table 1) the average response was on the disagreement

part of the spectrum. These statements give scenarios when one may prefer to use cell phones

rather than communicate face-to-face but the majority of participants disagreed that they would
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prefer to use cell phones. As expected, there was a correlation between shyness and preference

over face-to-face communication.

Shyness

Those who agreed with being shy disagreed that they have an easy time talking to people or

talking to new people. This was to be expected. Those who answered that they were shy also

indicated that communicating over text was easier than face-to-face communication. The

correlation between those two statements was .250 indicating a strong correlation. Those who are

shy find texting easier which would lead them to prefer communication over cell phone.

Conflict

There is also evidence to suggest that the participants prefer to avoid face-to-face communication

when dealing with conflict. When given statement twenty-one, 26.3% of participants said they

would text their parents before seeing them if their parents were mad at them. That percentage

increased when 33.3% agreed, in statement twenty-two, that they would text their significant

other before seeing them if their significant other was mad at them. Agree was the majority

answer in statement twenty-two and the second highest percentage in statement twenty-one.
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Bibliography

Clark, B. (2013). Cellular phones as a primary communications device: what are the implications

for a global community?. Global Media Journal: American Edition, 1-12.

Jiang, L., & Hancock, J. (2013). Absence makes the communication grow fonder: geographic

separation, interpersonal media, and intimacy in dating relationships. J Commun Journal

of Communication, 556-577.

Jin, B. (2013). Hurtful texting in friendships: satisfaction buffers the distancing effects of

intention. Communication Research Reports, 30(2), 148-156.

Jin, B., & Park, N. (2010). In-person contact begets calling and texting: interpersonal motives for

cell phone use, face-to-face interaction, and loneliness. Cyberpsychology, Behavior &

Social Networking, 13(6), 611-618.

Kuznekoff, J. H., & Titsworth, S. (2013). The impact of mobile phone usage on student learning.

Communication Education, 62(3), 233-252.

Lenhart, A. (2012). Teens, smartphones & texting.

Lenhart, A., & Purcell, K. (n.d.). Teens and mobile phones: text messaging explodes as teens

embrace it asthe centerpiece of their communication strategies with friends.

McCoy, B. (2013). Digital distractions in the classroom: student classroom use of digital devices

for non-class related purposes. Faculty Publications, College of Journalism & Mass

Communications.

Mengwei, B., & Leung, L. (2014). Smartphone addiction: linking loneliness, shyness, symptoms

and patterns of use to social capital. Media Asia (Asian Media Information &

Communication Centre), 41(2), 159-176.

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Pierce, T. Social anxiety and technology: Face-to-face communication versus technological

communication among teens. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1367-1372.

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Appendixes

Table One

Disagree or agree Strongly Disagree No Agree Strongly

with following Disagree (4) response (2) Agree

statements (5) (3) (1)

4. I am shy. 17.5% 43.9% 3.5% 31.6% 3.5%
5. I have an easy time 3.5% 12.3% 1.8% 49.1% 33.3%

talking to people in

person
6. I have an easy time 7.0% 31.6% 3.5% 50.9% 7.0%

talking to new

people.
7. I feel 5.3% 42.1% 5.3% 15.8% 31.6%

communicating with

someone through

texting is easier than

in person
8. I need someones 24.6% 47.4% 8.8% 17.5% 1.8%

phone number to

consider them a

friend of mine.
9. If I dont 43.9% 42.1% 14.0% 0 0

communicate with

someone over text

regularly, I dont
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consider them a close

friend.

10. I always have my 3.5% 7.0% 0 31.6% 57.9%

cell phone with me.

11. I use social media 0 1.8% 0 29.8% 68.4%

on a daily basis.
12. I would rather 26.3% 35.1% 17.5% 14.0% 7.0%

text my crush before

meeting them in

person.
13. My social plans 19.3% 45.6% 10.5% 21.1% 3.5%

must be consolidated

over text before

considered final.
14. I text someone to 17.5% 52.6% 7.0% 14.0% 8.8%

resolve a conflict

rather than talk to

them in person.
15. I send at least 20 5.3% 5.3% 3.5% 33.3% 52.6%

text messages a day.

16. I prefer to e-mail 8.8% 29.8% 10.5% 26.3% 24.6%

my professor than see

them in person.
17. I primarily use 1.8% 3.5% 0 40.4% 54.4%

social media through

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my phone.

18. I text my parents 15.8% 33.3% 19.3% 22.8% 8.8%

when something is

wrong rather than tell

them in person.
19. I am/ Ive been in 49.1% 22.8% 7.0% 14.0% 7.0%

an online

relationship.
20. I feel more 17.5% 36.8% 5.3% 26.3% 12.3%

comfortable

expressing my

feelings through

texting and social

media.
21. I text my parents 19.3% 36.8% 5.3% 26.3% 12.3%

before seeing them in

person if they are

mad at me.
22. I text my 17.5% 29.8% 7.0% 33.3% 12.3%

significant other

before seeing them in

person if they are

mad at me.
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Chart 1

I Am Shy

Chart 2

If I don't communicate with someone over text regularly, I do not consider them a close friend
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