Interpersonal Relationships of Students vs the Internet - Research Paper Example

? Is time spent on the Internet valuable to interpersonal relationships? The internet has become the most recent in a series of key technological innovations in interpersonal communications after the telephone, radio, and television. It is integration of the inventive attributes of its predecessors like connecting long distances and reaching out to a mass audience. It also comes along with additional unique features like virtual secrecy accorded to users and the stipulation of group platforms where users with interests and values of the same kind can meet and actively interact. Following a survey conducted on college students to investigate the value of the time spent on the internet to their interpersonal relationships, this paper presents an analysis of the findings from the study. This study analyzes the levels of social anxiety in college students and its influence on their behavior on the internet. The findings depict a weak positive correlation between the use of internet and amount of time spent with friends and acquaintances. Introduction Communication through the internet, mainly social networking sites, has become a regular practice among internet users as computers and the internet have become part and parcel of daily life. The internet offers convenient means of establishing social contact with others as well as socially interacting with them. Internet interaction made possible by digital connection generates a situation where users bargain their time online while socializing. The spread of social media also enables users to navigate face-to-face and online relationships through online interactions. Many studies conducted regarding how internet use affects individual’s relationships socially have indicated a disparity in results. While some studies concluded that internet use formed new relationships and strengthened existing ones, others displayed that internet use contributed to a decline in the size of individuals’ social circles as time spent interacting on the internet lessened face-to-face interactions and Social activities. Easy access to internet facilities, especially due to increasing wireless internet in various places, is another factor which directly influences social relationships. Lately, a growing number of internet users access the internet from a wireless connection either at home, school or some restaurant. This shows that many internet users are mainly using mobile phones, laptops, tablets or other portable devices to check mail or browse the internet using cell phone networks of Wi-Fi hotspots. Some studies argue that those who depend on wireless access as a connection means build up different behaviors compared to their wired counterparts. Wi-Fi particularly makes integration of intensive internet use with the use of public space possible. Public spaces are a unique factor in the shaping and maintenance of social networks, democracy, and individual opinions. It is therefore pertinent to analyze how internet use affects interpersonal relationships and the value of this influence. The aim of this study is to investigate implications of internet use for college student’s interpersonal relationship. How valuable are these implications? This study uses questionnaires to establish the levels of anxiety among the college students and to conduct a detailed survey of the relationship between internet use and their interpersonal relationships. To gain knowledge of the intricate effects the internet has on social relationships, its critical to investigate how often the students use particular social networking websites and for what purposes. Specifically, this study analyses how these social networking websites are beneficial to the students’ lives in terms of enhancing their social relationships. Finally, this study also compares the use of social networking sites to other channels of interaction like phone calls, emails and text messages to establish the students’ most preferred means of interaction. Literature Review Internet use and academic performance Previous studies on internet usage among college students have been focusing on internet addiction (Na, 2004; Kim, 2004; Kim, 2002; Lim et al., 2004; Son, 2003), suggesting alternatives by examining conditions of internet addiction. The inclination of these studies to the negative side of internet use hindered the development of further discussion. These researchers’ efforts were limited by the fact that they considered personal attributes as causes and effects simultaneously. Seo (2004) analyzed internet use based on how the collective aspect of school environment influenced internet use. The outcomes indicated that the bad influence of the internet is incarcerated within excessive internet users. Jeong (2005) looked at the variation in academic performance of students by Internet use. This empirical research indicates that internet addiction is negatively correlated with academic performance and emotional aspects. He suggested that harmful attributes of the internet can be evaded by encouraging students to regulate their internet use with the help from parents and teachers. With the growing public interest in e-learning, effects of internet on education are unavoidable and a meaningful examination of the impact of internet use on interpersonal relationships is essential as these relations considerably influence academic performance. The pattern of internet use and content available on the internet directly affects students’ academic performance. College students as a primary internet user group The rise of internet use among colleges permits effective investigation into usage of internet among college students. College students depend on the internet for academic research purposes, to collect information on the latest news and to get in touch with family, friends and classmates (Morgan & Cotten, 2003). Internet users between the ages of 18 to 29 years old have greatly contributed to growth of internet (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010). Internet usage among young adults attained 83% penetration in the year 2003 (Madden & Rainie, 2003). 93% of young adults were using the internet by 2009 (Lenhart et al., 2010). Generally, young adults still remain the age group that uses the internet most regularly despite the growing internet population and increasing percentage of older internet users witnessed over the last decade. Other studies argue that college social life has experienced major transformation as the internet becomes insidious in the lives of young adults. Due to the fact that internet use has gradually become prevailing among college students, researchers are starting to analyze the correlation between internet usage and college students’ interpersonal relations (e.g., Morgan & Cotten, 2003; Baym, Zhang, & Lin, 2004). Zhang et al. (2004) evaluated college students’ interpersonal communication across media like the Internet, telephone and face-to-face. His study indicated that as the number of people the students interacted with through the internet increased, so did the number of individuals they contacted through telephone and face-to-face interactions. The people conversing face-to-face were most probable to take part in other activities like telephone calls or online interactions at the same time. Morgan and Cotten (2004) found that college freshmen’s internet use is largely related to a high level of well-being and social support. College students signify a suitable sample population to comprehend the increase of internet use in social life since social internet has already gained a significant ground in their lives. Jones (2002) argued that is a critical internet usage among many online activities and 42% of college students use this medium primarily to socially communicate, 10% used it for entertainment them while 30% used it for academic purposes. The present study center’s on college students’ internet usage and offline interpersonal relationships. Since interactions on social networking sites are characterized by anonymity, its usage may have an implication on user’s face-to-face interactions with friends and acquaintances and it is the value of this implication that this study aims to establish. Research questions This study analyses the correlation between time spent on the internet and students’ interpersonal relationships. The amount of time spent with family is negligible in this case since most of the college students’ face-to-face interactions are made with professors and fellow students. It is difficult to establish the relationship between time spent on the internet and family interactions. In addition, this study controls for students’ time spent on sleep and TV viewing as previous studies have indicated that sleep and TV are significant activities that may influence the use of internet and social life. The time spent on such activities extensively affects the possible time people can spend interacting with others because they occupy substantial time in people’s daily life. Therefore, the research question is: RQ1: Is time spent on the Internet valuable to students’ interpersonal relationships? This study takes into account the context of internet use to develop an understanding of the intricate correlation between internet use and interpersonal relationships. Specifically, how much time a student spends on the internet is devoted to social networking sites, what specific social networking sites he or she visits, how regularly he or she visits these sites, and how the student related during face to face interactions are critical elements of this study. The study also examines the students’ capability to communicate under different social situations that involve face-to-face interaction and establishes the rating of value of time spent on social networking sites among different students. Method Survey and data collection A survey was performed to predict the correlation between college students’ internet use, particularly use of social networking sites, and social anxiety during face-to-face interactions with professors and fellow students, or groups. Data was gathered from a sample size of fifty participants who voluntarily answered 51 questions on questionnaires and were assured of confidentiality. This research was used as a sampling for gathering data from college students of mixed race. Demographic analyses disclosed that the sample is closely similar to the college population, with all participants aged between 18 and 33 years. Although the sample constituted mixed race, internet use is independent of a participant’s racial background, daily life interactions might be slightly influenced by race. Data from the 50 participants is reported in this study, making the assumption that all the respondents completed the questionnaire. Measures of variables Independent Variables The value of time spent on social networking sites to respondents was measured by questions concerning the percentage of total time spent on the internet that was spending on the social networks. Twenty items on the survey questionnaire measured online social interactions through social networking sites, popularity of specific sites among students, benefits of online interactions to their social relationships and appeal of sites to students compared to other media of communication. In the survey, students were asked questions, “Of your time spent on the internet, how much is devoted to social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook?” and “Rate how much time you spend on the internet outside of school or work during regular weekends/weekdays”. Respondents’ time approximations may be prone to error because people do not record the total minutes or hours spent on a particular site precisely. The degree of preference of social networking sites in comparison to face-to-face interactions for the purposes of making plans, expressing opinions or problems and forming new relations were also estimated using the survey questionnaire. Respondents were asked questions to determine whether they prefer online interactions or face-to-face contacts for such activities and which means they were at ease using. Dependent Variable Time spent on interpersonal interactions. This study analyses face-to-face interpersonal relationship with classmates and professors in a group or social situations. Respondents were asked how frequently they speak out during small group meetings with classmates or professors. This was used to predict how anxious they get in such situations and to what extent this affects their ability of self expression. Social relationships are rated based on the amount of time spent talking on the telephone and actively participating in an activity with family, friends or acquaintances. Specifically, assessing the time spent on face-to-face, interpersonal relationships is to judge the quality of sociability in which individuals are actively participating in activities with considerable social ties. Demographic Variables The study controlled for a variety of demographic elements like age, gender and racial background which may influence the correlation between the time on the internet and time spent interacting interpersonally. Age was measured by the questionnaire item, “What is your age?” containing the response categories, “18-21”, “22-25”, “26-29”, “30-33”, “34-38”, “39-43”, and “43+”. The ethnicity assessment was made with respondents asked to describe their race using seven categories- “White/Caucasian”, “Black or African American”, “Hispanic or Latino”, “Asian”, “Pacific Islander”, “American Indian or Alaska native” or “other”. Respondents were asked to identify their gender as either “Male”, “Female” or “Other”. Data analysis Apart from the main independent and dependent variables, other variables such as levels of anxiety and demographic variables were assessed in order to control for unrelated factors that may affect the relationship between time spent on the internet and interpersonal relationships. Hierarchical linear regression techniques were used to approximate how both the main variable and the controlling variables predict the quality of interpersonal relationships. Data was grouped and studied to obtain the means for each group. Results Of the 50 respondents, 28% were male, and 72% were female. In addition, 60% were white, 20% Asian, 12% Hispanic 2% black while the rest were not specific of their race. The respondents’ age was distributed between 18 and 33 years. The relationship between internet use and interpersonal relationships was a weak positive correlation of 0.01623535. Discussion The correlation analyses depict a weak positive relationship between internet use and interpersonal relationships among college students. This study shows that internet usage is related to offline interactions in various contexts. The results of this study contradict the probabilities of the time displacement hypothesis, initially suggested by Putnam (2000) for the outcomes of television on social capital and then extended to the Internet. Critics in the 1990s held the diffusion of the Internet as proof of individuals’ rising isolation from public life and society (Kraut et al., 2006 Nie, 2002). This dispute is founded on a zero-sum theory of time use that people have limited time; therefore time spent in one activity impedes time spent in another. Whereas not all activities are affected by use of media, time displacement theory empirically established that social interaction is a valuable activity that is replaced by media use. Specifically, a weak relation Internet use with face-to-face relationships indicates a possibility that college students invest a less considerable amount of their time on socializing using social networking sites. Although people may use the Internet and a computer differently, the weak positive relationship between wireless Internet use and interpersonal relationships suggests that the Internet use may beneficial to social interactions with classmates and professors. Future study This study overall found a slight connection between internet user and interpersonal relations among peers. Some limitations should however be addressed in the future. The small sample size used in this study is not sufficient evidence to generalize the results to the entire college student population; even if its demographic analysis is almost similar to that of the college population. However, the study still suggests that the use of the internet can influence students’ interpersonal relationships. Future research can survey internet use in other contexts and employ larger sample size. Another limitation of this study is that it fails to take into account elements that can regulate impact Internet use on interpersonal relationships like extraversion personality which can explain the differences in the dependent variable. In conclusion, this research has propositions for analyzing social interaction patterns that relate to other new technology and mobile devices such as Smartphone. However, deliberations of mobile technologies communication must take consider both the restructuring of ways, as social interactions and the senses they carry in diverse cultural contexts. References Young, K. S., & Abreu, C. N. (2011).Internet addiction: a handbook and guide to evaluation and treatment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Kraut, R. E. (2006). Computers, phones, and the Internet domesticating information technology Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More