1. Basham 1
Ally Basham
Professor Andy Deseran
Sociology 498: Senior Seminar
December 12, 2012
High Users of Facebook and Cell Phones: Which One Are You?
Abstract
My main intent in this research is to answer the question—Are high users of social
media, (e.g. Facebook- cell phones), less likely to engage in face-to-face communication than
low users of social media? To answer my research question, I will use survey research and
analysis to explore this topic more in depth. I plan to administer my research proposal by
targeting college students enrolled at Sonoma State University in addition to other members of
society not enrolled in college by using a convenient sample. The survey will include questions
relating directly to the use of cell phones and Facebook and how much users use these pieces of
technology to communicate electronically instead of communicating face-to-face. I will also
look for correlations between media use and face-to-face interaction as well. With this research,
it is my hope that I will be able to contribute to previous research done before and after me.

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Introduction
The impact that technology has had on daily communication is surely a general theme in
today’s society. Before this, society did not know what mass medias were and what they could
do for the world. During this time of the 18-1900s, people only had a handful of ways of
communicating and would constantly be finding different ways of entertainment. People would
go to a wide range of sporting events, dancing halls, community get-togethers and also join in
with the occasional club-sporting league. After the radio was invented in the 1900s (Putnam,
2000: 166) came the VCR, among other things and finally the cell phone in addition to other
technological attributes of social media such as Facebook. Once these new communication
devices hit social media, people couldn’t stop talking about it: but not face-to-face or rather in
the same room. These devices made it so much easier to connect with people without having to
be in the same room as them that society eventually resorted to this type of living. Currently
there are approximately 800 million active Facebook users in the United States and a little less
than half of them also have a cell phone (American Sociological Association, 2011: 1). So today
the question is are high users of social media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones), less likely to use
face-to-face communication than low users of Facebook and cell phone users?
Why should we care about this? What benefits does this arise and what are the
consequences for not addressing this research? As Robert Putnam states in his book, Bowling
Alone, “people in the 21st century have migrated towards this particular way of communication
rather than face-to-face communication” (Putnam, 2000: 168). My research will attempt to
discover if indeed Putnam’s statement is correct in addition to discovering if face-to-face
communication has now come secondary in American society and how technology such as social

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media has influenced this. If these questions are not addressed, future research will therefore
suffer the consequences.
To answer my research question, if high users of social media (i.e. Facebook and cell
phones) are less likely to use face-to-face communication than low users of Facebook and cell
phone users, I will use a survey research technique. This will enable me to accumulate the
largest and most diverse amount of data possible. My age range for my research will stay within
the margins of 18 to 33 and possibly older and will be open to all genders, races, and ethnicities.
I will gather a sample of participants who currently attend college and those who do not to gather
as much data as possible. My questions will be a series of checklist questions, open-ended
questions and liker scale questions in order to gather the best quality research possible.
Hopefully at the end of my research, it is my hope that I will have respectfully answered my
research question.
Literature Review
In 2000, Robert Putnam wrote, “When the history of the twentieth century is written with greater
perspective than we now enjoy, the impact of technology on communications and leisure will
almost surely be a major theme” (Putnam 2000: 216). Looking back on this quote when Putnam
wrote it, it is clear that Putnam’s instincts were correct. Now more than ever in the twenty-first
century, people of American Society are more dependent than ever with technology being their
primary way of communication. Before cell-phones were invented in the 1980s, people had to
rely on what seems to be a secondary way of communication, known as face-to-face
communication (Putnam 2000: 217). Overtime, technological advances as shown in the
Industrial Revolution and eventually cell-phones companies saw this aspect in people’s lives as
one that needed improving. This is when the cell-phone started to emerge.

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Eventually the integration of text messaging was added to cell phones, then the Internet,
then music and finally Facebook. Facebook and cell phones have now become America’s
primary way of communication. According to Wilson, in the twenty-first century alone,
approximately 99.7 percent of all college students own a cell phone and over 800 million people
all over the world are active Facebook users (Wilson 2012: 203). That means that only 3 percent
of all college students do not own a cell phone and 1 in 8 people are registered in the world on
Facebook with the total population of the world being 7,038,044,500 as of September 8, 2012
(Taylor 2012: 1). From where America was before the telephone was invented in 1980, it seems
as though society is switching over to a more technologically based way of living. Is this what
technology and social media has come to? Is society incapable of existing and communicating
effectively? In my research, I will attempt to discover these questions along with my main
research question to discover if high users of social media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones) are
less likely to engage in face-to-face communication than low users of Facebook and cell phones.
In the year 2000, author Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone explored America’s
collapse and revival of the American community. Putnam ultimately found what pieces of the
puzzle contributed to this time in American history with one of the main contributing factors
being the invention of the telephone. After its invention, the telephone did not take long for it to
gain popularity in the public and gradually became America’s new way of communication at the
end of the 19th century. It was so popular that approximately one percent of the nation’s
population by 1890 had a telephone in their home and 67 percent of the population by the mid
1950s (Putnam 2000: 217). As Putnam states, inventor Graham Bell originally only expected the
telephone “to serve the sort of broadcasting function that would later become the province of
radio—“music on tap” (Putnam, 2000: 166). Little did he know though that the telephone would

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take an entirely different route in the invention of the cell phone, which made its debut in the
1990s, which was almost a decade later. Now today, only a few percentages shy of 100% of
college students own a cell phone (Taylor 2012: 1).
At first, cell-phones were only designed to enable the user to make and receive telephone
calls. Now almost 20 years later, users can tell their cell phones who and when to call someone
by just using their voice: a convenience the multi-billion dollar company Apple Computers has
made a fortune off of with the invention of Siri. In addition, users can also send and receive text
messages, go on the web, go on Facebook, listen to music, check the weather, check stocks, and
so much more. These kinds of cell-phones called Smartphones are known as “the smallest
device [that] has more computational power than the largest computers had a generation ago.
And this computational power is only set to increase” (Srivastava 2005: 111). Naturally
according to Srivastava, these numbers are very dependent on the number of college students
who use and own cell phones. As stated by Wei and Lo, “The uses and gratifications approach
provides an adequate framework for studying cell phones because it assumes that individual
differences cause each user to seek out different media and use the media differently” (Wei and
Lo 2006: 55). For example, the average college student according to a study by Ling in 2008,
uses “the defining characteristics of mobile communication… [to] strengthen core tires.
Anytime-anywhere social affordances of the technology allows users to seamlessly weave
network interactions into the fabric of everyday life” (Ling 2008: 262). Cell phones used among
college students are also said to “tighten close personal relationships” (Katz and Aakhus 2002:
262).
However, cell phones are also linked to students’ psychological and physical health. This
can result in students “staying up late at night engaged in exchanging messages, as well as

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emotional dependence reflected in the thought that users could not live without their cell phone”
(Kamibeppu and Sugiura 2005: 122). This is not just the case however with college students, but
rather with everyday people out in society who own cell phones as well. Cell phone users will
often times act as though their cell phone is their security blanket that if taken away it will seem
like the end of the world to them. Cell phones are also said to “affect one’s levels of openness…
and [the] engagement in disclosure with others” (Campbell and Kwak 2012: 262). In addition,
many notable studies have also found that the amount of time spent online can lead to signs of
social withdrawal from the public (Kraut 1998: 101). This then affects the way society
communicates among one another overtime.
In comparison to studies linked to cell-phones and social withdrawal from society,
Facebook on the other hand has been said to strengthen relationships. According to Valkenburg
and Petter, once Facebook reached high adoption levels among people in society, “users became
better able to connect with existing ties online, which strengthen these relationships and fosters
self-disclosure” (Valkenburg and Petter 2009: 264). In another online source author John
Lemeul (2006) writes an article discussing his own personal reasons for registering for a
Facebook account. He discloses that registering for Facebook enabled him to get in touch with
his “former colleagues… [more in] these last few months than [he’d] had in years before via e-
mail and phone” (Lemeul 2006: 1). Facebook also encouraged him to “rack up some friends”
because “when [he] first opened my account, it read “You have no friends” and which person
wants to hear that (Lemeul 2006: 1)? Ultimately, Lemeul joined because he wanted to connect
with people that he was friends with on a site that displayed them all in one place and that is
exactly what Facebook does. However other people other than Lemeul join Facebook for many
other reason such as the need for support, to stay connected with friends and family, to feel like

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they belong or are connected to something, for self-preservation purposes, and finally to stay
connected with social media.
In comparison to the pros of what Facebook is capable of bringing its users, studies have
also found that Facebook has just as many cons. While Facebook promotes a website for friends,
the site is only online based. Studies have found that users will engage in what is known as
“online Facebook relationships where Facebook ‘Friend’ connections represent ‘in person’
relationships” (Mayer and Puller 2008: 330). These types of relationships however do not
translate over to the real world and only stay exclusively on Facebook between its users. In
translation, friends on Facebook may actually just be friends on Facebook and not actually
friends in the outside world. In addition, technology interaction i.e. social media, has also been
linked to “affect one’s level of openness… and [the] engagement in disclosure with others” as
stated earlier (Campbell an Kwak 2012: 262).
While it is up to the people of society to determine their own opinions about social
media, such as cell-phones and Facebook use, society still seems to be indecisive about the
effects social media has on everyday life. In a study done by The Everygirl, which is an online
blog directed towards empowering the everyday career driven woman, co-founders Alaina
Kaczmarski and Danielle Moss (2012) asked subscribers to their daily blog if social media was
in fact making people less social. And if so, what sort of things did their subscribers use social
media for? Subscribers responded to the blog in a number of ways as illustrated in the following
examples:

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From the following responses made by the female subscribers, their comments can
illustrate what potentially is being found in empirical studies compared to those primarily done
for sociological research. The empirical study also suggests that society is still unsure about
their feelings towards social media and if it has a positive or negative affect on our social-well-
being. As stated by one subscriber, people are “incapable of connecting to the world around us
unless we are connected to the Internet.” Inclusive to what this subscriber said, author Jenaro
and Flores (2007), disclose from their research that cell phones and Internet use have many
problematic psychological, behavioral, and health correlations to both of them. For example,
high amounts of Internet use has been linked to symptoms of “anxiety, depression, social
isolation, low self-esteem, shyness, and lack of emotional and social skills” (Young and Rogers
1998: 324). However, as mentioned by Putnam (2000), social media “in particular, substantially
enhance[s] our ability to communicate, this it seems reasonable to assume that their net effect
will be to enhance community” (Putnam, 2000: 171). Being that technology and social media

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advances happen daily, it would not be surprising if society is pondering the benefits or negative
characteristics of social media for a while.
In conducting my own research, I will attempt to discover if high users of social media
(i.e. Facebook and cell phones) are less likely to engage in face-to-face communication than low
users of Facebook and cell phones. Thus far, I have explored, through other sociological
research, the pros and cons of cell phone and Facebook use, how the two combining elements
play a role in social media, and lastly the pros and cons of social media in society today. While
other studies have looked at what I have researched in regards to communication within social
media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones) separately, none of these past studies have combined the
two components like I will do in my research. As a sociologist, I predict there is a significant
link between the two aspects of social media and that is what I will attempt to show in my
personal research.
Methodology and Findings
The sample I used to conduct my research was done by way of using an online survey research
generator. The generator called Survey Monkey, enabled me to post my survey through a web
link on any site, on the Survey Monkey website itself, and also through my own personal
Facebook account. In addition to Survey Monkey, I also used my cell phone to text many
friends and acquaintances to promote my survey as well while leaving my survey open to the
public for approximately two weeks. My survey consisted of a series of checklist, open-ended
and liker-scale questions. I left my survey open to students of all majors, currently enrolled at
Sonoma State University, in addition to students of all genders, ethnicities, and races.
The variables that I tested for in my study all contributed towards answering if high users
of social media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones) were less likely to use face-to-face

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communication than low users of Facebook and cell phones. A few variables that I tested for
were the difference in ages of participants, gender, major, ownership of cell phone/Smartphone,
subscription to a Facebook account, and their preferred way of communication on a daily basis.
Out of these variables, the independent variables that I tested for in my research, as those that
were allowed change such as Facebook and cell phones. The dependent variables however were
the factors that responded to change such as use of face-to-face communication as a result of
social media. I gathered all of these variables and results by using a quantitative research
analysis which allowed me to study people while looking at large them in large numbers and
statistics: for example, how many hours a person spends on social media in the last 24-hours.
Conclusions and Discussions
*Table 1: Demographics and Social Media Usage

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Table 1 is a combination of the demographics of the sample that I encountered at the end
of my research in addition to social media usage. These demographics include variables such as
age and gender of the participant. I then chose to choose these demographics with the amount of
social media usage used by the participants in the last 24-hours. From the Table 1, shown above,
the data shows that the participants that participated in my study were mostly concentrated in the
category of less than 25 years of age. The data also indicates that these people spent the least
and most time engaging in social media in the last 24-hours. However, what was especially
interesting about my data along with others I found while doing my research was that females
seem to spend much more time interacting with social media than males did. This would be
particularly interesting to do further research on to investigate exactly why this is.
*Table 2: Comparison of High and Low Users for Preference
Question 1 Crosstab: In the last 24-hours, how many times would you estimate that you
used your cell phone for social media, (i.e. Facebook, Twitter etc.)?
Question 2 Crosstab: Your preferred way of communication is on your cell phone.
Question 3 Crosstab: Your preferred way of communication is through Facebook.
Low
N=33
High
N=56
Total
N=88
Cell Phone Use:
Strongly Agree 12 (13.6%) 25 (28.4%) 36 (41.0%)

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Agree 12 (13.6%) 21 (23.9%) 33 (37.5%)
Neutral 6 (6.8%) 8 (9.1%) 14 (15.9%)
Disagree 1 (1.1%) 3 (3.4%) 4 (4.5%)
Strongly Disagree 2 (2.3%) 0 (0%) 2 (2.3%)
Facebook:
Strongly Agree 1 (1.1%) 0 (0%) 1 (1.1%)
Agree 5 (5.7%) 6 (6.82%) 11 (12.5%)
Neutral 5 (5.7%) 13 (14.8%) 18 (20.5%)
Disagree 17 (19.3%) 28 (31.8%) 44 (50.0%
Strongly Disagree 6 (6.82%) 10 (11.4%) 16 (18.2%)
Table 2 shows the comparison between high and low users of social media, such as cell
phones and Facebook, and the preference that the sample had for using these particular types of
communication. From the data that my research presented, participants in my survey seemed to
prefer the method of communication on a cell phone much greater than that of Facebook use for
their primary communication preference. This is congruent with the data and examples I found
during my research before conducting my own research experiment of high and low social media
users. Even though the results were as I had expected them to be, I was nonetheless surprised
that the research I conducted myself in an entirely different setting and sample demographics
turned out the way it did. I had personally anticipated for the method of Facebook
communication, for example, to be much higher among the respondents in my study being that
large portions of them were college students. However, as stated in previous research, Facebook
is a tool that is used by many to keep tabs on people without physically picking up the one and

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calling them. This is ultimately why I feel the number of Facebook users was not in more of a
competition with users who preferred cell phones as their primary way of communication.
*Table 3: Gender vs. Cell Phone Functions
Table 3 shows the demographic of gender and the amount of cell phone functions that the
average cell phone today comes equipped with. The table shows that compared to when the first
cell phone came out in the 90’s, cell phones have made quite the transformation since the time
they first appeared. Now, everyone from my entire research sample size of 88 participants at
least owns a cell phone. These participants also own cell phones which include three of the most
common functions that cell phones come equipped with today: the ability to call, text message,
and take pictures using a built-in camera. Other cell phones owned by participants in the survey

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also came equipped with Internet capabilities, music player options, and reminders and
calendars. This table not only shows that cell phone companies are listening to what people need
and want but they are surrounding our lives in it and making it that much easier to rely on a
device that has the potential to hold everything.
*Table 4: Gender vs. Method of Communication
Table 4 crosstabs the demographic of gender of the surveyed participants and the method
of communication preferred when telling a family member or friend something important. As
seen in Tables 1 and 2, it can be concluded that people today result to different ways of
communicating within social media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones) most of the time. However,
what I found particular interesting after conducting my research, was something that I had never
expected. When participants were faced with the decision to communicate with friends and

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family about something important, 83.3% of males and 64.8% of females in my survey felt the
best way to reveal this type of information was to tell them in person. Surprisingly, none of the
participants choose to post important news they had on Facebook, which was the second most
common type of communication preference in my survey. These results shown by my data
suggest that when it comes down to things, people would rather tell others face-to-face important
information regarding their lives rather than informally telling people important information.
In conclusion to my research, I was able to not only answer my research question but also
find out information that I did not expect to find. To answer my research question if high users
of social media (i.e. Facebook and cell phones) were less likely to use face-to-face
communication than low users of Facebook and cell phones, as my research suggest, the answer
is yes. However the reasoning behind this conclusion are different than what I had originally
expected being that college students were communicating this way because they were trying to
evolve with technology. While students who use social media rather than standard face-to-face
communication are indeed using it at higher levels, these students are using social media due to
its convenience and easy available access.
As shown in my research, (See Table 3) the majority of college students own not just a
cell phone but a Smartphone. Smartphones today are not only equipped with telephone features
but text messaging, Internet, music, reminders/calendars, Facebook, a camera and many others.
With everything being conveniently placed and displayed in one place such as an iPhone,
Blackberry or an Android, society finds it easier to connect with others using these devices than
directly using face-to-face communication. Companies such as Apple Computers, Microsoft and
a new company Skype, seem to have all recognized this new way of living that does not enable
people in society to communicate as in person as they would like. These companies have

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therefore created face-to-face communication technology, which enables people all over the
world to communicate online for free with family, friends, colleagues and anyone else. While
society may use social media, such as cell phones and Facebook to communicate most
frequently, as shown in my research, participants would much rather communicate face-to-face
with people than using aspects of social media.
Even though I was able to answer my research question effectively, I did encounter
certain limitations in my study. In recruiting people to participate in my survey, it became very
difficult to obtain enough participants to take my survey, especially when they did know me
personally. Initially I had hoped that people would see the survey online and take it right away
but it seemed to get lost in the World Wide Web. I unfortunately had to result to texting people
in my own personal cell phone, individually, to get the word out effectively. For future research
purposes, I would not have relied on this type of data collecting method in order to obtain my
survey participants. In addition, most of the people who partook in my survey were mostly white
and female Sonoma State University students, which is due to a majority of the campus being
predominantly this percentage. I would have liked to obtain a more diverse sample not only
involving different races, ethnicities, and genders but also a more diverse age range of people for
a less bias outcome.
As a sociologist, I feel that even though my original theory as to why people engage in
social media communication was incorrect, my theory if high users of social media (i.e.
Facebook and cell phones) were less likely to use face-to-face communication than low users of
Facebook and cell phones was correct. While my research experiment along with many others
was not perfect and included many forms of bias data construction, the data that I was able to
obtain from my sample was congruent to that of which I had found in previous research. I was

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able to prove that people, and more specifically females, under the age of 25 are the most likely
to engage in social media communication. Second, I certified that indeed cell phone use is at is
at a higher rate than that of Facebook communication. Third, I solidified that the three most
common cell phone functions currently equipped with all cell phones are text messaging, calling,
and a built-in camera. And lastly forth, my researched showed that people choose to use face-to-
face communication when telling someone something important. I feel that my research has
taught me a lot about society and the way that we choose to communicate amongst each other.
Everything that I discovered during the process of my research I did not know before and I am
thankful to take what I have learned through the stages of what my life has to offer.
Blank Copy of Survey Instrument
Cell Phone and Facebook Use Among SSU Students
Hello! My name is Ally Basham and I am a Sociology student at Sonoma State
University. You are being asked to participate in a research study that I am conducting as one of
the requirements for my bachelor’s degree. Your answers will be completely anonymous but if
you do not wish to participate in the survey, then please leave the survey blank. If you have any
questions about the survey or the research being conducted, please feel free to contact myself at
bashama@seawolf.sonoma.edu. Thank you.
For the first few questions, mark an X with the answer that applies.
A. How old are you?
___ (1.) Under 25
___ (2.) 25-28
___ (3.) 29-31
___ (4.) 33 or over
B. Please indicate your gender.
___ (1.) Male
___ (2.) Female
___ (3.) Transgender
___ (4.) Other

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C. Are you enrolled in a university?
____ (1.) Yes
____ (2.) No – If no, proceed to Question E.
Next, please answer the following questions by writing your answer below or placing an X
next to the answer that applies.
C. If you answered yes to the previous question, what is your major?
_____________________________________
E. Do you own a cell phone with Internet capabilities? If you don’t own a cell phone,
proceed to Question J.
___ (1.) Yes
___ (2.) No
F. Do you own a Smartphone?
___ (1.) Yes
___ (2.) No
G. In the last 24 hours, how many times would you estimate that you used your cell
phone for social media, (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc?
___ (1.) None
___ (2.) Less than one hour
___ (3.) One to two hours
___ (4.) More than 2 hours
H. Place an X next to the functions your cell phone is equipped with.
___ (1.) Calling
___ (2.) Text messaging
___ (3.) Internet
___ (4.) Music
___ (5.) Reminders/Calendar
___ (6.) Facebook
___ (7.) Camera
___ (8.) Other: Specify __________
I. From Question H, for which of these functions do you mainly use your cell phone
for?
______________________

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J. Do you have a Facebook account?
____ (1.) Yes
____ (2.) No – If no, proceed to Question L.
K. What do you most often use your account for?
___ (1.) For support
___ (2.) To stay connected with friends and family
___ (3.) To feel like you belong
___ (4.) For self-preservation
___ (5.) To stay connected with social media
___ (6.) Other: Specify __________
In response to the following questions, please state to the extent to which you agree or disagree
by placing an X next to the answer that applies.
L. Do you think college students can go to college without being linked to social media?
___ (1.) Strongly Agree
___ (2.) Agree
___ (3.) Neutral
___ (4.) Disagree
___ (5.) Strongly Disagree
M. Your preferred way of communication is on your cell-phone.
___ (1.) Strongly Agree
___ (2.) Agree
___ (3.) Neutral
___ (4.) Disagree
___ (5.) Strongly Disagree
N. Your preferred way of communication is on through Facebook.
___ (1.) Strongly Agree
___ (2.) Agree
___ (3.) Neutral
___ (4.) Disagree
___ (5.) Strongly Disagree
O. Communicating with people face-to-face makes you uncomfortable.
___ (1.) Strongly Agree
___ (2.) Agree

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___ (3.) Neutral
___ (4.) Disagree
___ (5.) Strongly Disagree
P. When telling a family or friend something important, you prefer to:
___ (1.) Not tell them
___ (2.) Wait for someone else to tell them
___ (3.) Post it on Facebook
___ (4.) Text them
___ (5.) Call them
___ (6.) Tell them in person
Additional Comments:
Thank you for your time in completing this survey!

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Annotated Bibliography
Alonzo, Mei, and Milam Aiken. “Decision Support Systems.” Flaming in Electronic Communication
36.3 (2004): 205-13. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://0-
www.sciencedirect.com.iii.sonoma.edu/science/article/pii/S0167923602001902>.
It is so easy for people to “flame” up in a conversation when typing, texting, and/or using
electronic communication. Generally a flame is ignited due to one of the participants referring to
hostile intentions, profanity, and “obscenity, and insults that inflict harm to a person or an
organization resulting from uninhibited behavior.” In addition, flaming can also arise due to the
topic of discussion, if the person is familiar with the people surrounding them or not, if the group
members have anonymous identities, and how close the members of the group are to each other
either physically in a group of chatting anonymously online. It is more likely for a flame to
ignite in these particular situations because the people are not face-to-face communicating.
There are also no “visual cues or observations of social etiquette in electronic written
communication.” In addition, when people are not in person talking, they miss out on the other
person’s facial expressions and tone of voice in which they are speaking.
Komatsuzacki, Seisuke. “The Impact on Communication Theory of the Evolution of Media.”
Continuing Debate XXXII.2 (1980): 91-98. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 04 Sept. 2012.
<http://0-web.ebscohost.com.iii.sonoma.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=94251a85-91b3-
4587-bbd6-9da859fd1c5d%40sessionmgr14&vid=7&hid=19>.
As more and more ways of communication are emerging, these new ways will eventually
replace older and less “cool” ways of communication. When a new medium is accepted, society
will replace the old medium with the new one. This is done at times because the new medium
fulfills the needs of society better and more effectively than the old medium, in addition to being

22. Basham 22
more convenient and more affordable. An example of this is the evolution from MySpace to
Facebook. A decade ago, MySpace was the “in” and the “cool” thing to be on. Now MySpace
has only 30 million users while Facebook has close to 900 million users. This is what is known
as an accelerated evolution towards electronic media. Komatsuzacki defines communication
media “as a mechanism to link people and to disseminate information amongst them, then this
evolution should indicate a change of relationship between people, information and
communication media.” According to Komatsuzacki, tradition human interactions and
relationships are usually compromised due to the impact and presence of “technological
innovation of communication media...”
Manger, Terje, Robert A. Wicklund, and Ole-Johan Eikeland. “Speed Communication and Solving
Social Problems.” Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research 28.3
(2003): 323+. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://0-
web.ebscohost.com.iii.sonoma.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=94251a85-91b3-4587-bbd6-
9da859fd1c5d%40sessionmgr14&vid=7&hid=19>.
Article covers the influence of what electronics have had on people and how they have
resorted to face-to-face communication as a last resort. Authors conducted a study of three
hundred and seventy-two subjects from three different countries were asked to fill out a
questionnaire regarding this subject. Electronic communication was favored in this study in an
attempt to adopt a more modern way of communicating. Results showed that people with more
experience with face-to-face communication were less likely to recommend more modern ways
of communicating and visa-versa.
Campbell, Scott W., and Nojin Kwak. "Mobile Communication and Strong Network Ties:
Shrinking or Expanding Spheres of Public Discourse?" Sage Journals: New Media &

23. Basham 23
Society 14.2 (2012): 262-80. Print. The study looks at people who participate in strong
mobile communication in small numbered networks of like-minded people, which is said
to affect the ties and other ways of communication among others. One of the ways that
this is achieved is by mobile communication, which is said to strengthen core ties.
Stepping out of this as our comfort zone is said to be help others reveal more about
ourselves. The study investigates how the use of mobile phones will decrease one's levels
of openness to and engagement among interactions with others. From previous research,
mobile users are more likely to interact and communicate with people that are in their
network-size comfort ability in addition to like-mindedness. Most of all however, the
study was meant to observe the trends in mobile communication and also public
communication overtime.
Campbell, Scott W., and Yong Jin Park. "Social Implications of Technology: The Rise of
Personal Communication Society." Sociology Compass 2.2 (2008): 371-87. Print. "The
media landscape has changed dramatically in recent decades, from one predominated by
traditional mass communication formats to today's more personalized network
environment". Mobile communication plays a substantial role in ways of communication
that not even the Internet can surpass. Researchers look at the "shift" towards widespread
mobile communication influence by several key areas. The key areas discussed in the
article are first the symbolic meaning of technology, second the new forms of
coordination and social networking, third personalization of public spaces, and fourth the
mobile youth culture. Keeping these four factors in mind, sociologists conduct research to
discover the key areas of social change, which are affected by the adoption of mobile
devises. In addition, while keeping these aspects in mind, researchers also consider key

24. Basham 24
theories, which suggest the dynamic relationship between society and technology. The
article also looks at how mobile communication has changed the way information flows
from one person to another. The current process of technological change supports this but
it is not dependent on it. We therefore use this as a framework for understanding society,
because in a sense, they are characteristics of social order. However, as stated in the text,
technology does not determine society but society serves as a lens for examining how
social order is produced and reproduced through systems of communication.
Ellison, Nicole B., Charles Steinfield, and Cliff Lampe. "Connection Strategies: Social Capital
Implications of Facebook-Enabled Communication Practices." Sage Journals: New
Media & Society 13.6 (2011): 873-92. Print. The journal discusses the concept of what
social capital really is. Social capital describes the benefits that individuals receive from
their social relationships. This can include resources such as emotional support, exposure
to diverse ideas, and access to non-redundant information. As explained, because social
networks and social media have huge potential to reshape the way we communicate by
making it cheaper and more affordable to communicate among people, this is why
research is being done on it now to see how segments of social capital can be
implemented to a large extent. The study done by these sociologists is among one of the
first to explore the relationship between social capital and specific communication
practices that are the most popular among people in the U.S. The study ultimately looks
at the types of relationships that these people are forming and if there are any
preconceived notions attached to these relationships such as offline relationship before
becoming friends on Facebook. In addition, the study looks at what draws these certain
types of people together and if there are any outlying causes to this. It is not clear yet

25. Basham 25
however if Facebook or other social media outlets are the cause to these positive social
capital outcomes.
Faulkner, Xristine, and Fintan Culwin. "When Fingers Do the Talking: A Study of Text
Messaging." Interacting with Computers 17.2 (2005): 167-85. SciVerse. Web. 11 Dec.
2012.
<http://www.hub.sciverse.com/action/home/proceed;jsessionid=D68A9E05788CB02A3
CF4234DD02B5CD3.n4oVUTUDmXJVHWf4uddDkQ>. This particular source includes
an actually study down consisting of both a questionnaire and diary study of the
participants. The diary study of the experiment involved 24 of the participants over a 2-
week period, while the questionnaire portion of the experiment involved observing 565
participants and their texting activities also over 2 weeks. What the findings ultimately
suggested was that text messaging done by the participants in the study were done
involving a wide range of people involved in very different activities. In addition,
research also found, in addition to my own, that text messaging was for some participants
their preferred way of communication. At the end of the study, it became clear how much
of an impact that text messaging has made on our society to date. In places such as New
York for example, "people see text messaging as a warm, personal and cost-effective way
to greet their friends and love ones on special occasions" (Faulkner and Culwin 2005:
167). This is also expanding to picture messaging too. All in all, text messaging is
growing in massive amounts al over the world and the figures are remarkable.
Ginger, Jeff. "The Facebook Project: Fostering Multidisciplinary E-Social Science." The
Facebook Project. Rev. 1. Bruce & Haythornthwaite, 3 Oct. 2008. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.thefacebookproject.com/research/jeff/publications/esocialscience.html>.

26. Basham 26
The article, The Facebook Project: Fostering Multidisciplinary e-Social Science, observes
the role, which Facebook has made for itself in society. The research looks at when
Facebook first made its appearance on the world and how society reacted to it. Initially as
the research states, Facebook was only supposed to be a small hype in society and then
resume to the way things were. However, Facebook has stuck around and it looks like it
will continue to stick around for quite some time. The article looks at how college
students, currently enrolled in college, use and interact with Facebook and incorporate it
into their daily lives. In addition, the article also talks about how race and ethnicity are
important factors that should be incorporated into Facebook more. They state that paying
more particular attention to this will increase diversity and the amount of Facebook users
in all. In addition to attracting more users by paying attention to race and ethnicity, users
are also encouraged to join for the "online relationship" status. By looking at the different
ways in which knowledge and ideas are distributed among Facebook users, researchers
are able to learn more about sending and receiving discrete exchanges of information.
People that have friends strictly on Facebook don't necessarily have to be friends with
those people outside of Facebook itself. They explain that this is what is called the
"Internet relationship". This relates to my study by seeing how college students and
people of race and ethnicity interact with Facebook on a larger level.
Harriss III, Frank. "Will Campus Cell Phone Addicts Ever Learn?" Classroom (2010): n. pag.
Hartford Courant. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://www.courant.com>. College students love
their cell phones. This article explores how the love for cell phones, in this case being
college students that is not always the best kind of love. In this particular instance,
college student’s love for cell phones is not good in this case, especially when it comes to

27. Basham 27
inside the classroom. This college professor protests that "smart college students with
smart phones can do dumb things" (Harris III 2010: 1). In a recent survey study done by a
randomized 300-student survey, 99.7 percent of students at Ball University were found to
own a cell phone. Students are so busy walking and talking on their cell phones to their
friends that they barely see each other when they walk by. The survey also done at Ball
University also found that 94% of these college students send text messages and 62% of
student’s text while they are in class. This professor says that cell phones are college
student’s lives. If students miss a call its not that big of a deal. But miss a text message
and the student finds it difficult to even survive. Cell phones according to the professor
also act as a major distraction in class while professors are trying to teach. Students
would rather sit in the back of the room and text message before they would actually
listen to a class lecture. Al in all, cell phones and professors don't mix and he is here to
prove it.
Kaczmarski, Alaina, and Danielle Moss, eds. "http://theeverygirl.com/coffee-talk-is-social-
media-making-us-less-social/." The Everygirl. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.
<http://theeverygirl.com>. On October 8, 2012, editors of the website TheEverygirl
posted the following question on the Internet for online users in addition to subscribers
and non-subscribers of their blog to ask, "Is Social Media Making Us Less Social?" The
people who responded via these different ways of access, responded with their own
personal comments regarding their opinion to the question in as little or as much as they
wanted. The results were very scattered in users agreeing that society has become less
social compared to others who disagreed with social media only making society more
social. Users were able to add and comment on each other’s responses as well. The

28. Basham 28
Everygirl is a website that is directed towards inspiring women to express themselves and
follow their dreams in life.
Katz, James E., and Mark Aakhus, eds. Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private
Talk, Public Performance. N.p.: Cambridge University, 2002. Print. This source looks
how mobile communication changes the nature and quality of social behavior and
organization. Researchers explore how the mobile phone affects the way in which we
interact with each other everyday. From when a phone rings in public to incorporating the
phone into our everyday conversational patterns, mobile phones have become more and
more the way to life and the way to live. Mobile phones are also said to alter social
dynamics and affect the traditional relationships that people have with themselves in
private. Sociologists in the study suggest that times are changing as a result to owning a
mobile phone and are only changing more. For example, as done in the sited study,
researchers discover the relationship between teens and parents and the ability to
communicate between the two with the added addition of a mobile phone. They also look
at mobile phones in societal relationships and how mobile phones are said to cause the
three C's: cooperation, coordination, and conflict. Not only does this factor affect societal
relationships but also business ones as well. Supervision among businesses has
transitioned to forms of increased supervision and new and improved ways of monitoring
people. In conclusion, all aspects regarding mobile phones are challenging the standard
folkways, norms, values, and culture, which we have established today.
Lemeul, John. "Why I Registered on Facebook." Chronicle of Higher Education 53.2 (2006):
113. Print. Author John Lemeul explains exactly why he decided to register for
Facebook. Lemeul had a number of reasons as to why he decided to register for a

29. Basham 29
Facebook account and decides to list a few of them in his article. The first reason why he
decided to register was because his friends were giving him a hard time about not having
one. Since over 800 million people in the world already have Facebook, Lemeul was one
of the people that were fighting to not have to register for one. The fact that "everyone"
had one just made getting one that much easier so that he could consider himself part of
the loop. In addition, Lemeul had just graduated from graduate-school and the friends
that he made while in school had moved away either for other jobs or home with their
parents. This made communicating with all of them at once that much more difficult due
to the amount of distance between them. Lemeul however resisted being too friendly with
classmates that he would perhaps have classes with sometime in the future to avoid
awkwardness. Lemeul also joined for self-confidence reasons. When users of Facebook
sign in, it automatically tells you how many friends you have and the people you might
know. Lemeul didn't realize how many friends he had until he started adding people he
knew all throughout his life. He also joined to grab members of the opposite sex's
attention since he was single. While Facebook isn't necessary meant for online dating
relationships, users can use it for that purpose. Most of all however, Lemeul decided to
join Facebook for the friends and family aspect that he was missing out on without being
near each one of them.
Ling, Rich. The Mobile Connection. San Fransisco: Elsevier, 1004. Print. Compared to my
research and what my research question focuses on, Rich Ling disagrees in saying that
the worlds focus is not on technology, and mobile phones per se. Instead the main focus
is on cell phones and cell phones only. Ling shines light on the fact that mobile phones
have exploded in growth all over not just the United States but every other country as

30. Basham 30
well. Not only have mobile phones swept the nation but also we, as people of society,
have accepted this and adopted this type of communication into our everyday lives. Ling
also explains the rate of adoption of mobile phone rates in each country. Non-
surprisingly, users in many other countries are at higher rates of adoption use than the
United States itself. However, as research shows in Ling's study, the United States is the
highest in the most calls received and made by cell phone users. While other countries
make calls to other people and receive calls from others as well, it is always one or the
other of the methods instead of both. Ling also looks at how society is shaping changes
and advancement in mobile phones instead of mobile phones or the aspect of technology
shaping society. People of society are telling and dealing with the in's and out's of what
should happen with mobile phones and what should not. As Ling argues, technology is
telling us nothing about what we should do for the people of society rule the aspects of
technology. Instead of thinking of things that we need, we switch to thinking of things we
want instead. The two concepts have become very difficult to distinguish especially for
those in the United States, which ranks number-one being the richest nation in the world.
Ling researches all of these concepts and more in The Mobile Connection.
Madell, Dominic E., and Steven J. Muncer. "Control over Social Interactions: An Important
Reason for Young Peoples Use of the Internet and Mobile Phones for Communication."
CyberPsychology and Behavior 10.1 (2007): 137-40. Print. This research reports why
young people choose to use certain aspects of communication such as the media,
especially the Internet and mobile phones for social purposes. This particular study used
the focus group research method to achieve the best results possible for this particular
experiment. Two focus groups were conducting using participants ranging between 18-22

31. Basham 31
years of age and discussed questions pertaining to different ways of communicating
through social media. All discussions from the focus group were recorded and
pseudonyms were used to protect the participants identity and for confidentiality
purposes. After all the focus groups were conducted, the focus groups were transcribed
and analyzed accorded to the Grounded Theory Principles. As a result, handfuls of
themes among the research emerged. One example being the most likable communication
method used by young people was that of the internet and mobile phones. Another them
also emerged with participants that agreed that ways of communication such as email,
text messaging, instant messaging and so on, allowed users to gain time before giving a
response. This ultimately gave participants greater control communicating with others
compared to communication over voice calls, telephone, or even face-to-face.
Munger, Dave. "Cell Phones and Kids: A Match Made in Heaven?" Science Blogs - Where the
World Turns to Talk about Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
<http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2005/09/30/cell-phones-and-kids-a-match-m/>.
This particular source looks at children and cell phones and the combination of the two
subjects. In countries such as Japan, 60% of the total Japanese population subscribed to a
cell phone service. Parents are not buying their kids cell phones while they are still in
elementary and grade school. Even though schools banned cell phones during school
hours, parents ignored these rules and bought cell phones for their children anyway.
Children have therefore become more attached to their cell phones with parents becoming
concerned that their children are substituting this for face-to-face communication and
relationships. Studies were done to support this of 651 8th graders to see how cell phone
usage was affecting their friendships. The results shows that nearly half of the Japanese

32. Basham 32
8th graders owned cell phones with significant numbers of girls owning cell phones than
boys. The research also showed that those students who owned a cell phone had a
relatively large amount of friends that also owned a cell phone as well. 8th grade cell
phone users also said that they used their cell phones most of the time to text their friends
who were in close proximity to them while calling family members instead of texting
them. These users also estimated to sending more than ten text messages a day to their
friends during school hours. In contrast however, these cell phone users were in fact
reacting the opposite that their parents thought that they would react to owning a cell
phone. Cell phone they say have in fact made them more social in helping kids build
deeper friendships and talking to kids that share their same likes and interests. It is
interesting to see how this particular study would do in America under the same
circumstances.
Pierce, Tamyra. "Social Anxiety and Technology: Face-to-face Communication Verses
Technological Communication among Teens." Computers in Human Behavior 25.6
(2009): 1367-72. SciVerse. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.hub.sciverse.com/action/home>. This study examines teen use of socially
interactive technologies, also known as SITs. Some examples of these SITs are examples
such as online sites, mobile calls and text messaging, and the social anxiety that goes
along with the communication on these devices. The participants included in this study
were conducted in a large western school with approximately 280 high school students.
On average, 35-40% of high school teens attending the school reporting using his or her
cell phones for either calling or text messaging on an average of 1-4 hours per day. 24%
of the study reported using their cell phone for instant messaging (IM) purposes 1-4 hours

33. Basham 33
daily and only 8% only used their cell phones for 1-4 hours daily. This directly relates to
my study due to the fact that I asked a similar question in my survey to the students that I
interviewed at my University. Results from the study also showed a positive correlation
between cell phone anxiety and participants not being comfortable with face-to-face
communication, also known as anxiety. Unfortunately, when I personally asked my
participants this particular question, participants stated that no, communicating face-to-
face with others did not make them feel uncomfortable. This study shows otherwise.
Voakes, Greg. "The Receding Evolution of the iPhone." Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
Dec. 2012. <http://www.businessinsider.com/the-receding-evolution-of-the-iphone-2012-
9>. The iPhone invented my Apple Computers has been a source of fascination since its
invention in 2007. Since then, the popular iPhone has sense evolved. Each time Apple
comes out with a new iPhone there is always a new improvement made to the phone and
the way the use can interact with it. Whether it is a bigger screen, longer battery life, new
apps, or new software system, Apple always seems to keep its users interested and
waiting for the next new thing. Since college students currently occupy a large percentage
or cell phone users all over the world, Companies like Apple rely on these populations to
carry their numbers and their brand to the next level. This is a big reason why there have
been not one, not two but five iPhones that have been released since 2007. Not only has
Apple been successful with cell phone companies such as AT&T but also companies
such as T-Mobile and even Sprint. The iPhone is quickly becoming the most obtainable
and most affordable phone on the market yet with earlier generations of the iPhone
pricing at just $0.99 on eBay. Not only can the iPhone just call someone but it can also
allow you to text friends and family, check your calendar, set an alarm, check the

34. Basham 34
whether, check stocks, use FaceTime to call other users who have iPhones as well, and so
much more. The iPhone is so easy and convenience to use that it enables users to keep
practically their entire lives in something that fits in the palm of your hand. While the
iPhone has already made dramatic strides over the past few years, it will continue to
make these strides for what seems to be for many years to come.
Wei, Ran, and Ven-Hwei Lo. "Staying Connected While on the Move: Cell Phone Use and
Social Connectedness." Sage Journals: New Media & Society 8.1 (2006): 53-72. Print.
When people integrate cell phones into their daily routine, do they consider this an update
of the fixed home phone or assign it a special value? This is what researchers Wei and Lo
look to discover in their research. Based on a survey, which was admitted to Taiwanese
college students, researchers found that the cell phone acts as a means to strengthen
family bonds, expand psychological neighborhoods, and lastly facilitate symbolic
relationships with the people that they call and associate themselves with. Cell phones
used to only be for business purposes but have since made their way into the hands of
others such as infants. And for those who are unable to connect as easily with those that
they love, cell phones offer the unique advantage to solve this problem. Gender was also
a factor in the study as well with more women owning cell phones then men. This
suggests that women have more of a need/urge to be connected socially with friends and
family than men do. Ultimately the study looks at how cell phones have been integrated
into our lives today and the leading factors especially amount college students that have
led this to become so predominant today.
Wilson, Robert E., Samuel D. Gosling, and Lindsay T. Graham. "A Review of Facebook
Research in the Social Science." Sage Journals: Psychological Sciences 7.3 (2012): 203-

35. Basham 35
20. Print. Facebook currently has over 800 million users. It is dramatically changing the
way hundreds of millions of us relate to one another in addition to sharing information. A
recent research study stated that Facebook was the impact made on social life in the 21st
century. Researchers have also found Facebook to be a natural tool in observing society
in a natural setting, test hypotheses, and recruit participants. However, this also makes for
data and results gathered from Facebook to be very difficult to analyze and conclude. To
try and avoid this, researchers in this current study decided to conduct a literature review
of findings by identifying 412 relevant articles to influence their study. The themes which
they were ultimately able to find after their research were: motivations for using
Facebook, the role that Facebook plays in social interactions, privacy and information
disclosure, and lastly, descriptive analysis of each user who used Facebook. Ultimately,
this particular article influence my personal research to a large extent in being that much
of what these sociologists were researching I was researching too. At the end of the
research, sociologists were able to find direct correlations between all five of the
previously listed categories and why exactly these concepts influenced people in society
and visa versa.
Young, Kimberly S., and Robert C. Rogers. "The Relationship between Depression and Internet
Addiction." Cyber Psychology and Behavior 1.1 (1998): 25-28. Netaddiction.com. Web.
9 Dec. 2012. <http://netaddiction.fusionxhost.com>. Research shows that "moderate to
severe rates of depression coexist with pathological Internet use" (Young and Rogers:
2008; 25). With this information at hand, sociologists Young and Rogers conducted a
survey of 312 participants. When she survey was collected, a total of 259 current users
who suffered from cyber addiction had experienced significant levels of depression due

36. Basham 36
to increased levels of Internet use. As suggested at the end of the study, management and
decreased use of the Internet was hypothesized to reduce and significantly improve
psychiatric symptoms due to Internet use. Addicts used for this study used the Internet on
average of 38 hours per week for nonacademic or non-employment purposes, which
ultimately affected students, work performance among employees. This was compared to
Internet users who used the Internet on average a total of 8 hours per week. Internet chat
rooms and online games were said to be the most addictive to subjects. The term used for
this is pathological Internet use (PIU). Large amounts of Internet use have also been
linked to sicknesses such as alcoholism, drug addiction, pathological gambling and so on.
The purpose of the study was to "asses depression and compare such results to other
established dual diagnostic populations" which directly associates to my research
regarding society and social media use pros and cons.