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This was my first full research study, completed as a capstone for my undergraduate Communication major. I was fascinated by how social interactions add new layers to our conversations and influence how we see each other. I enjoyed every part of the project, from planning my approach and gathering data in the field to reflecting on how it all came together.
Looking back, I can see how much I’ve grown, but it’s clear I’ve always had a curiosity for asking questions and figuring things out. Sharing this brings back great memories and is a reminder that with the right approach, you have the tools to investigate meaningful questions and find value in the dissection.
Thanks for checking it out.
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By Bre Jernagin, (Comm 151I New Media, New Methods, San Jose State University)
Social media has created a culture that is involved and complex to understand. This is in part because it’s so new and has diverse factors that are hard to calculate in exactness. In doing this research study, I sought to better work out some of those complications. The topic of this research study involves how the media and computer mediated communication has affected interpersonal relationships. Particularly, how social media and computer-mediated-communication has created a new layer into relationships. The research question asked: “What criteria do people use in selecting modes of communication when calculating social risk?”. My educated prediction is that communication through computer mediated devices has created new layers into various forms of relationships. I think that social media has made it easier to make a higher “quantity” of relationships at a lower “quality” and that there’s a new sense of distance between people. I predict that this distance is created by varying factors such as convenience, efficiency, motivations, and others. I predict that one aspect of this layer can be attributed to the method in which mediums young adults choose to communicate. Lastly, that the increase in unrealistic relationship expectations and communication anxiety in a way, create a cycle of further internet addiction and reliance on CMC.
Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC) and its effects on interpersonal relationships is becoming more prevalent with the advancement of technology. As the modes accessible through CMC grow, the practice of communicating anywhere at any time is becoming significantly more desirable and essential to everyday life. Modes such as texting, calling, and instant messaging have given people the tools to work through the barriers of space and time (Dimmick, J., Feaster, J., & Ramirez, A., 2011). Feaster discussed that previously, if people wanted to interact or even speak to one another, they had to overcome the obstacle of space and time by physically crossing paths.
With the progression of CMC, new areas of human behaviors are emerging. These behaviors seek to explain the relationship involving location (physical distance) and how people view CMC as real. Perceived realism intensifies media effects in general because media representations that are authentic and true to real life are generally more engaging (So, J., & Nabi, R., 2013). The perceived social distance can explain the heightened personal risk perception as well as perceived realism. In this case, though the physical distance may be great, the more engaged people are through CMC, the less social distance they feel is between them. (So, J, 2013). This social distance also correlates with other dimensions in relation to psychological distance. Social distance is defined as “grades and degrees of understanding and intimacy which characterize personal and social relations generally”. CLT is conceptualized social distance which suggests that as social distance increases, the discrepancy between perceptions and judgements of the self and others will increase as well.
Whether CMC has increased interpersonal relationships or led to their decrease is in constant debate. As far as a decrease, studies have proven that the more time people spend on the internet the higher their chances of feeling depressed and isolated are. When people spend more time on the internet they are both reducing and replacing face to face interaction which correspondingly has caused a gradual decrease in interpersonal relationships. However, some studies suggest that CMC has proven to be a valuable tool that has shown to help strengthen interpersonal relationships (Lai, & Gwung. 2013). For those who favor social interaction through CMC feel it is easier to both maintain relationships as well as create new ones. In this view, both friendships and convenience are increased in an efficient manner. Moreover, it increases interaction time (Lai, 2013). CMC in social support settings has offered little concrete evidence of whether it’s effective (Rains, S., Brunner, S., Akers, C., Pavlich, C., & Goktas, S. (2017). People’s motivation for each application they choose vary. Snapchat is predominately used between closest interpersonal relationships. The young adults indicated that snapchat isn’t used to make new friendships, rather it’s more useful in enhancing current friendships, family relationships, and romantic relationships. An example of how it could potentially ‘enhance’ a relationship is how Snapchat can be ‘a next step in the relationship’ (Vaterlaus, Barnett, Roche, & Young, 2016).
A custom that has evolved from social media is called the youth culture. This culture said to have been developed around new media. This includes shared rules, beliefs, and meaning. Many of these ‘rules’ are ‘unwritten’ and often overlooked or missed by adults. It’s new, not definite, and can only be created and/or replicated through the consistent access of media. The negative aspects of Snapchat within youth culture are jealousy, if someone abuses it and/or over uses it (Vaterlaus, 2016) Though the advancement of CMC has offered a lot of benefits, there are also risks that come along with it. Considering the Social Norms theory, the danger of students posting risky behaviors online is that there’s a higher chance of their peers following suit. After researching the correlation between viewing alcohol content online and the actual consumption of it, the findings are concerning. The more adolescents that post alcohol related posts the more normal it’s perceived to be. (Groth, Longo, & Martin. (2017). Moreno (2014) suggests that an issue to the correlation between posting alcohol related pictures on social media and its increase in risky behavior are the “likes” associated with the post that can encourage and normalize that sort of behavior.
The study consisted of three methods: survey, one-on-one interview, and focus groups. The criteria for all participants were 18-24 year olds who actively use computer-mediated-communication as a mode for interaction. I recruited my participants through texting messaging and calling. I targeted them by choosing people who I see engage with others through social media frequently and who are generally open and honest people.
Before conducting the study, multiple peer-reviewed articles were examined to get a better foundation of previous studies performed in this area. The studies analyzed dealt with human communication behaviors such as social distance, social and personal risks and the social displacement effect. Social and personal risk perceptions became a large part of this study because they both involve a person’s generalized risk to society.
The first method I began collecting data with was through surveys through SurveyMonkey. I first piloted with peers who fit the criteria and made changes where necessary. I chose to begin with this method because I knew reaching 40 participants would take the longest. I initially reached out through a Facebook page where each member fit the criteria. After looking through the members listed on the page, I verified each member was in between the ages 18-24. Considering the medium, I presumed they were active on social media. After receiving 22 responses I sent out the surveys through text message to specific people who fit the criteria. After 8 days, the survey reached 41 responses. The surveys purpose was to get a foundation for commonalities and interests.
The next method was one-on-one interviews. After piloting on two separate occasions with participants from both genders, I began interviewing. After cancellations and rescheduling, I interviewed four participants total. There were two males and two females: Mary (20), Raveena (21), Connor (23), and Marko (20). Before beginning, I gave a brief introduction on the point of the study and asked if there were any questions before. Each interview lasted between 45-50 minutes. The purpose of the interviews was to understand each person’s criteria when evaluating social risk through computer-mediated-communication.
The final method was focus groups. I piloted a focus group with peers and felt that it ran successfully during the first try. With the intention of analyzing gender differences and how this affects the participants answers, the groups were split into two groups of four. The first consisted of four females, with three being 20 years old, and one being 21 years old. The second group consisted of three males, two being 22 years old and one being 20 years old, and one female who was 23 years old. Before beginning, there was a brief overview of the point of the study as well as an icebreaker. The icebreaker consisted of everyone going around in a circle and saying their best and worst moment of the week. This worked well in both groups to get everyone more comfortable and open with each other. The first focus group took one hour and 15 minutes and ran as expected; the girl’s piggy-backed off one another and agreed on most things. The second group ran very well, taking one hour and 10 minutes. The group consisted of a positive debate that contributed well-rounded answers. The purpose of focus groups was to study how a group setting could change or expand each participants’ answer.