How Have Cell Phones Changed Us Socially - Research Paper Example

How has cell phones changed us socially? Student’s Name School Name Table of Contents Introduction 3 Study Hypotheses 3 Research Variables 4 Background 4 Study Rationale 6 Research Objectives 6 Materials and Methods 6 Findings 8 Discussion 10 Conclusion 13 Works Cited 14 Introduction The advent of the mobile phone in the 21st century has changed the way individuals communicate and interact in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as other parts of the world. The introduction of the mobile phone intended to serve adults and the business world rather than young individuals (Campbell 3). In a similar way, engineers of fixed telephones also stated that the rationale of the fixed telephone was to serve the business world rather than social conversation. Young individuals have portrayed an impressive rate of adopting the use of mobile phones. Several factors have contributed to the increased adoption of the technology by young individuals. Reduction in the costs of the devices, the introduction of the pre-paid phone card and the reduction in the sizes of the devices have had an immense contribution to its rapid adoption by youths. Apart from owning cell phones, young people have an affective and symbolic investment in the devices. The focus of the paper is the impact of cell phones on the social life of individuals in the UAE. The paper bases its research topic on a sample of students of a national school in the UAE. Study Hypotheses In accordance with the topic, there were four hypotheses stated by the researcher in conducting the study. The main hypothesis is as follows: H1: The use of cell phones has changed the social life of individuals. H2: The use of cell phones has influenced the functionality aspect of the social life of the target group. H3: The use of the mobile phone has influenced the relational aspect of the social life of the target group. H4: The use of the mobile phone has also affected negatively on the social life of individuals. Throughout the paper, the objective of the researcher was to prove the hypotheses. Research Variables The social impact arising from the use of mobile phones was the dependent variable used by the researcher in the research process. However, there were several independent variables employed by the research. The paper used age restrictions as one of the independent variables that influenced the use of the mobile phone among families in the UAE. It is evident that different families consider different ages to be the appropriate age for adolescents to use cell phones. Financial constraints also turned out to be the other independent variable that influenced the use of the devices. In fact, parents consider phone payments to be an additional expense besides their already-strained financial resources. As a result, they tend to limit phone usage as much as possible. The research also considered family rules to be the third independent variable that influenced the use of mobile phones by students in the UAE. Finally, the paper also used school policies about the use of mobile phones as the other independent variable that influenced the use of mobile phones and the associated impact on the social life of its user. Background The past decade has witnessed a massive adoption of mobile phones by individuals especially youths in the world. Cell phones have turned out to be an integral part of the daily lives of adolescents in the UAE as well as other countries around the globe. An analysis of the UAE in relation to Africa and the Middle East has revealed that the UAE is leading the other regional blocks in the penetration of mobile phones. To be precise, the percentage of mobile phone penetration in the UAE is 73% (eMarketer 1). Bearing that in mind, it is apparent that individuals in the UAE will exhibit the highest effects of mobile phone usage on their social life. Instead of being a technological tool as was the case during its introduction, the mobile phone has turned out to be a social tool. As a result, it has had a significant impact on the social life of its users. Cell phones affect peer relationships and family relationships when used by all individuals. However, narrowing the user group to consist of young people also includes the influence of mobile phone use on the relationship between the individual and the school. There has been a positive use of mobile phones by youths to set up and maintain social contacts without the need for face-to-face communication (Drago 16). However, several negative effects of using the devices are also evident. The negative effects have influenced greatly on the peer relationships between young individuals. Cyber bullying and ostracism are some of the adverse effects associated with the use of the mobile phone. Mobile phones have also influenced significantly family relationships. The major areas of concern for parents are the issues of surveillance and safety (O’Brien 27). As a result, parents find it proper to give cell phones to their adolescents to monitor their movements and increase their safety. Such milestones were difficult prior to the advent of the mobile phone. In essence, functional coordination is the main benefit that families enjoy from the use of cell phones. It is important to note other negative issues associated with the use of mobile phones and the associated impact on the social life of users. For instance, non-custodial parent access, financial difficulties, possible intrusion in the secret lives of young individuals and overreliance on the device for surveillance and security are some of the negative effects that accompany the use of mobile devices. Topic Rationale Following numerous compliments and complaints from young individuals on the use of mobile phones and the associated impact on the social life, the researcher found it appropriate to investigate the impact of cell phones on the social life of individuals. The researcher found it necessary to extend the research into the school environment due to the disruptions to lessons, exam cheating, and bullying issues that are on the rise in the school environment. Research Objectives Based on the hypotheses of the research, the research objectives are as follows: To determine the functional impact of mobile phones on the social life of the target group To determine the negative impacts associated with the use of cell phones To determine the relational impact of mobile phones on the social life of individuals To determine barriers that limit the use of mobile phones Materials and Methods The research process employed a qualitative approach. The researcher distributed questionnaires to high school students. The research focused on high school students at the institution. As a result, the ages of students ranged between 13 and 18 years. The researcher divided the process of distributing questionnaires in accordance with class years. The researcher also selected a class randomly in each year. Having selected a class, the researcher administered questionnaires to all members of the class. This implies that the research process used a stratified random sampling approach (Teddlie 79). In answering questions, the researcher distributed questionnaires to 85 male and 80 female students respectively. Using the proportion of student respondents enabled the researcher to have a balanced perception of the data with specific regards to gender equality. The questionnaire comprised of specific questions that required respondents to fill information about their usage of the mobile phone. The questionnaire comprised of three main components. The first component collected data on the demographics of the respondent. In essence, the section intended to obtain data about the general use of the cell phone by the respondent. The second part collected data about explicit content. The researcher expected respondents to avail data as to whether or not they had gained access to explicit content such as cyber bullying or sexually explicit videos, texts or images while using their mobile phones. The final section of the questionnaire focused on mobile instant messaging such as MXit and MIM. The researcher intended to determine whether students managed to convey vital messages and keep in touch with their peers via instant messaging. The questionnaire also asked whether students used instant messaging services while in classrooms to determine whether the use of mobile phones was disruptive to the learning process besides their utility by students to cheat during examinations. The questions used the Five-Point Likert-Scale (Bertram 1). The questions addressed all the primary components mentioned above such as the access to explicit material, demographics and access to instant messaging services. The objective of the questions was to enable students to understand the influence of mobile phones on their social life. To be specific, the questions targeted to communicate to students how mobile phones influenced their social life. The fact that the questionnaire managed to reach a large proportion of students implied that the respondents were a representative sample of the target population. As a result, it is proper to use the findings for future reference on the topic. Findings Starting with the demographics aspect, the question asked the amount of money spent by students towards the purchase of airtime per month. The findings noted a difference between the expenditure exhibited by female and male students. Female students exhibited an average monthly expenditure of R115 on airtime whereas the average value for male students was R60. Male respondents also sent out more short messages than their counterparts did. In fact, number of text messages sent by male respondents was 30% more than that of female respondents. On an average day, 15% of the respondents indicated that they use mobile phones for a period that lasts between five to six hours. Moreover, 6% of the respondents indicated that they spend more than six hours on the mobile phone on a daily basis. With regard to using mobile phones within the school environment, 90% and 85% of female and male students respectively indicated that they use mobile for at most one hour at school. When asked to provide a reason for the limited use of mobile phones at school, students highlighted strict rules imposed by school authorities about the use of mobile phones during school hours as the probable reason. While in class, 90% of female and male students indicated that they do not switch off their phones while in the classroom. On the use of the mobile phone to access explicit material, 85% and 70% of the male and female students respectively used their smart phones to access the Worldwide Web that further enabled them to access explicit materials including cyber bullying and explicit sexual images and videos. The table below displays the findings. Male Female I use of the mobile phone within the school environment 85% 90% I do not switch of the phone while in class 90% 90% I use the mobile phone to access the Internet and explicit content 85% 70% Figure 1: The use of the mobile phone within the school environment and to access explicit content From the findings, 85% of female respondents and 90% of male respondents indicated that the access to explicit material has had a significant impact on their aggressive and sexual behavior. Moreover, 80% and 75% of the male and female students respectively also indicated that the distribution of explicit material was responsible for the loss of respect between individuals of opposite gender. The findings also indicated that 90% of respondents from both genders also expressed preference of private chatting to public chatting. The chart below details the findings. Figure 2: The Impact of access to explicit material and the selected chatting mode Discussion The differences in the monthly expenditure allocated for the purchase of airtime between male and female respondents reveals different implications. The obvious implication is the financial burden of purchasing airtime that respondents transfer to their working parents and guardians (Wajcman 10). The fact that the average expenditure exhibited by female respondents is higher than that of male respondents implies that female students prefer making calls rather than sending texts as a way of communicating to their peers and other individuals. By so doing, it is apparent that female individuals prefer a more social and personal way of communicating with others. On the other hand, male students prefer sending texts to calling since texting is cheaper than placing calls. This explains the reason behind their low average on monthly expenditure on airtime. Moreover, the burden imposed on parents by male adolescents is lower than that imposed by their female counterparts. The finding that both parties use the mobile phone to communicate is consistent with the second hypothesis that states that the use of mobile phones has a functional impact on the social life of individuals. The adolescence period is a stage where children broaden their networks with peers. Apparently, ongoing interpersonal interactions suffice to be the basic construct of all social life (Ravichandran 30). Rather than experiencing coordination that does not succumb to the limits of physical proximity, mobile phones guarantee spatial mobility to students. Mobile phones also guarantee spontaneity and flexibility in communication since there is direct communication between communicating parties. Mobile phones have also enhanced the process of arranging and rearranging social functions by adolescents as well as other persons. This has enhanced the fluidity of the social interaction information culture. The above effects of the functional impact of mobile phones on the social life of individuals are positive. However, there are situations whereby such communication privileges yield negative outcomes. A good example is the case of adolescents using the devices to gatecrash parties. The findings indicating that students spend a considerable amount of time on mobile phones to communicate with their peers validate the third hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, the use of mobile phones has a relational impact on the social life of individuals. Actually, connecting peers suffices to be the most significant impact of mobile phones on the social life of individuals (Jonnes 76). The performance of mobile phones in connecting peers is better than the performance of fixed phones since the former lacks adult interference (Baron 4). The significance of the relational aspect gathers its evidence from the engagement rules (Gambrell 175). According to the rule of engagement, communicating parties anticipate responses to text messages within a short period that does not exceed 30 minutes following the reception of the message. In the event that the receiver replies the message after the expiry of thirty minutes, an apology should accompany the reply. The findings also indicate that the amount of time spent by students on mobile phones at school is limited. It is important to note that no matter the reduction in the time spent by students on mobile phones in school, they still face the negative influences associated with the use of mobile phones within the school environment. Such challenges include possible disruptions to lessons and the use of mobile phones in exam cheating. This is consistent with the fourth hypothesis of the research. Therefore, combining the small size of the devices with the ease of students to send texts while in class makes it difficult for teachers and other school authorities to control the use of mobile phones within the schooling environment. Adolescents portray significant reluctance to switch off their phones while in the classroom environment. Possible disruptions that result in negative consequences on the academic performance of students include the excitement of students to read messages or find out whom the caller is during class time (Lepp et al. 2; Junco & Shelia 506). The use of mobile phones by students to access the Internet subjects them to explicit content. This exposes students to pornography. The impacts of explicit material on aggressive behavior of youths and the associated loss of respect are negative (Sarwar & Tariq 220). This reflects social degradation that calls upon parents, teachers, and other stakeholders to monitor and advise students appropriately. The preference of private chatting to public chatting exhibited by majority of the respondents heightens the sense of privacy exhibited by students towards chatting. Instead of engaging in multiple chats with different individuals about a topic, adolescents prefer private chatting with one peer at a time. Conclusion The rapid adoption of mobile phones by adolescents in the UAE and other parts of the world has given rise to both positive and negative effects on the user’s social life. Adolescents use mobile phones to communicate with their peers. Communication takes place through either calls or messaging. Girls prefer making calls to sending messages while communicating with their peers. The use of mobile phones has also had a functional impact on the social life of individuals since the devices ‘micro-coordinates’ the social life of adolescents. Increased connectivity among peers also indicates that the use of mobile phones has a relational impact on the social life of adolescents. Rather than influencing positively on social life of individuals, mobile phones also affect negatively on the social relationships. For instance, they have created a social divide between parents and their children besides eroding the respect held by adolescents towards individuals of their opposite sex following their access to explicit material. Works Cited Baron, Naomi S. "The dark side of mobile phones." (2013). Bertram, Dane. "Likert scales." Retrieved November 2 (2007): 2013. Campbell, Marilyn A. "The impact of the mobile phone on young people's social life." (2005). Drago, Emily. "The effect of technology on face-to-face communication." The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications 6.1 (2015): 13-19. eMarketer. “United Arab Emirates Leads Middle East and Africa in Mobile Phone Penetration-eMarketer.” (2016). < http://www.emarketer.com/Article/United-Arab-Emirates-Leads-Middle-East-Africa-Mobile-Phone-Penetration/1011971> Gambrell, Linda B. "Seven rules of engagement: What's most important to know about motivation to read." The Reading Teacher 65.3 (2011): 172-178. Jonnes, T. 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Smith, Aaron. “Part III: The Impact of Mobile Phones on People’s Lives.” PewResearchCentre. < http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/11/30/part-iii-the-impact-of-mobile-phones-on-peoples-lives/> Teddlie, Charles, and Fen Yu. "Mixed methods sampling a typology with examples." Journal of mixed methods research 1.1 (2007): 77-100. Wajcman, Judy, et al. "The impact of the mobile phone on work/life balance." Canberra: Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association & Australian National University (2007). Read More