Empirical Evidence of the Impact of the Internet on Interpersonal Social Relations - Research Paper Example

The Sociology of the Internet: Empirical Evidence of the Impact of the Internet on Interpersonal Social RelationsIntroduction The purpose of this proposed research is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of the Internet on interpersonal social relations. Internet is fast becoming a significant sociological issue since the number of households gaining access to the Internet in the US continues to increase from year to year. For example, the latest report released by the US Department of Commerce reveals that in October 2012, 72.4% of households in the US had high-speed Internet connections. This represents 88 million American households and a 5.5% increase over 2011 (United States Department of Commerce). In addition, the results of the United States Department of Labor American Time Use Survey revealed that in 2012, younger Americans spent far more time using computers than they did any other leisure activity. Given the prevalence of Internet connections in the US and the frequency with which young Americans use computers as opposed to other leisure activities, this research conducts an inquiry around the following research question: What is the impact of the Internet on interpersonal social relations? This is an important area of inquiry as sociological theory informs that individuals require quality interpersonal relationships in order to maintain both physical and mental well-being (Ryff and Singer 1). This research will focus on the use of the Internet by a sample of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 21 and will seek to determine how the internet impacts their interpersonal social relations. The data will be collected from a sample of 100 individuals using a close-ended questionnaire. The data will be calculated and analyzed using SPSS software. A Review of Literature This research proposes to investigate the impact of the Internet on interpersonal social relations. This is an important sociological issue since young Americans are using the Internet and spend less time engaging in other leisure activities. Thus the Internet is the main form of social interaction for young Americans outside of work and school. Since social interactions are important for physical and mental wellbeing, this research is necessary for answering the following questions: Does Internet use improve interpersonal social relations? Does Internet use undermine interpersonal social relations? What is the quality of interpersonal social relationships over the Internet? A review of literature indicates that a number of studies have been conducted on the impact of the Internet on social relations. However, as the number of Internet users increases, further and ongoing research is necessary for determining how much the Internet is changing social relations and the nature of those changes in the context of social relations. Kraut, Patterson, Lundmark, Kiesler, Mukopadhyay and Scherlis conducted a longitudinal study on both the social and psychological impacts of the Internet on a sample of 169 Internet users in 8 neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1017). The sample excluded household members under the age of 10. The families were provided with computers, software and Internet services to enable the researchers to track their Internet habits over a two year period. Data was collected from a questionnaire distributed prior to the installation of computers and the Internet and after the study was concluded. The questionnaire assessed social involvement and psychological well-being prior to and after the study. The respondents also participated in interviews at the end of the study (Kraut, et al., 1998 1020). The results of the study indicated that the most frequent form of Internet use was email communications and surfing the World Wide Web. Findings indicate that interpersonal social relations corresponded with Internet use. Those who used the Internet less were more social in terms of engaging in activities out of the home. Teens used the Internet more than any other age group and whites used the internet more than blacks. High Internet use was also associated with increased feelings of loneliness and isolation (Kraut, et al, 1998 1021-1026). This study is particularly important because it establishes that the Internet is particularly detrimental to the social relations of young people. Since this study was conducted at a time when the Internet was not as widely used as it is today, further research is necessary to determine if those negative impacts are continuing. Matei and Ball-Rokeach conducted a study ascertaining the link between online and offline social relations among 7 ethnic residential locations in Los Angeles (p. 552). Data was collected via telephone interviews, media census, mail surveys, and structured face-to-face interviews. Altogether 115 families participated in the study. The results of the study indicated that where respondents had closer ties to their communities they were able to make friends within the same community online much more frequently than those who did not have close ties to their community (Matei and Ball-Rokeach 559). This study establishes that the use of the Internet can be complimentary to an offline social life. However, it leaves open the question of the impact of the Internet on social relations in general and in particular where social ties are established outside of one’s communities. This proposed research will therefore fill a gap in the literature. A more recent study was conducted by Young on the social impact of Internet social networks and Facebook. The data was collected from 758 online surveys and 18 semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the research was to identify the manner in which Facebook and other social networking systems on the Internet contributed to initiating contact, keeping in contact and “facilitating extended contact with online friends” and the “concept of facestalking” (Young 20). The study also investigated how social networking tools such as profiles, statuses and photograph posting were effective socialization tools. The results indicate that social networking on the Internet not only complimented current relationships, but also extended “potential social capital” by enabling a method for maintaining contact with a “larger and more diverse group of acquaintances” (Young 20). The study conducted by Young is very important to this proposed study because it realistically includes tools that young people use more frequently on the Internet today and is arguably a new way of socializing. The question that Young’s study does not answer however, is whether or not new relationships can be formed via these Internet social tools and if using these tools can become substitutes for interpersonal relations. Therefore, this proposed study will fill a gap in the literature by answering those questions. Petroczi, Nepusz and Bazso conducted a study using the Virtual Tie-Strength Scale which was distributed among 56 Internet users in Hungary (39). Findings suggest that social ties can be formed over the internet but remain weak unless there is a desire to meet and foster relationships offline. Relationships formed online offer only cursory connections and do not substitute for interpersonal relations in which individuals can seek and obtain support (Petroczi, et al. 39). The study conducted by Petroczi is important because it raises the question of whether or not individuals who rely on the internet for their social relations can form and maintain meaningful relationships for fostering satisfactory physical and mental well-being. Therefore this proposed study will fill an important gap in the literature by exploring these issues. Recognizing that Twitter plays a significant role in the social lives of people everywhere, Ye, Fang, He, and Hsieh conducted a study to determine where social capital came from in the Twitter world and the nature of social activities on Twitter (145). The study was conducted using Java software for retrieving data on approximately 2,000 Twiter users (Ye, et al.149). The study found that social activities on Twitter were blogging, sharing photographs and links to other Internet sources. The study also found that those with the most followers and most tweets were celebrities, politicians and professional and famous athletes (Ye, et al. 152). The results of Ye, et al.’s study therefore suggest that social capital must first be acquired offline in order for social ties to be created and maintained online. It therefore follows from this study that the Internet has a complimentary role to play in the social relations of individuals. It remains to be seen whether or not social capital can be acquired online and this proposed research will investigate the possibility. Research Design This proposed research will use a quantitative approach. In other words, this study will use mathematical and scientific logic in the collection and analysis of data (Goertz and Mahoney 19). Since quantitative research methods rely on mathematical and scientific logic and thus produce mathematical descriptions, large data samples can be used. This is because the data collected must be capable of measurement and this allows for the collection of large quantities of measurable data. In this regard, the most common methods of data collection are close-ended questionnaires or structured interviews and surveys (Newman and Benz 15). In order to preserve the integrity of the research results, the questions placed in the research instruments should be relevant to the research (Creswell 8). In this regard, the research questions are designed to collect and measure the variables that are comprised of social relationships and Internet use. Thus the independent variables arising out of the questions in the research instrument are work/student status, dating, study time, going out with friends, spending offline time with family. The dependent variables are: time spent online; activities online; friends and connections made online. Together these variables form a basis for producing data that measures the impact that Internet activities (dependent variables) have on social factors and capital (independent variables). In measuring the variables to determine if there is a statistically significant correlation between the independent and dependent variables, the variables will be categorically scaled. The questions aimed at obtaining the measurable variables will be contained in a close-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire will contain a number of statements with responses in a Likert scale format. The responses are categorically scaled from 1-5 with 1 representing Agree, 2 representing Strongly Agree, 3 representing Neutral, 4 representing Disagree and 5 representing Strongly Disagree. By inserting the option of Neutral (3), the reliability of the results are strengthened in that should the respondent chose any of the other answers and did not opt out by choosing Neutral, the respondent is most likely being honest. In order to further test the reliability of the results an internal consistency test will be conducted on the questionnaires using Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient test. The questions contained in the questionnaires will make statements such as “I use the internet more than five hours a day;” “Most of my friends were made online:” “I communicate with my friends online most of the time;” “I go out with my friends at least twice a week;” “I spend time with my family more than once a week;” “I prefer to text, IM over using the telephone or visiting in person;” “I go on the Internet first thing in the morning and last thing at night;” “I shop online more often than I shop in person.” “Most of my friends are friends that I met online;” “My offline friends are my most important friends;” “I have developed offline friends with people I’ve met online.” The sample population will be purposive sampling. Purposive sampling is a non-random sampling technique which allows the researcher to select members of the population who the researcher believes have the information that is important to the research question or questions (Blankenship 86). Therefore, the sample will be required to be individuals who are at least between the ages of 18 and 21 as research reported in the literature indicates that younger individuals use the Internet more frequently than older individuals. Moreover, the individuals selected will also be required to have access to the Internet as this research will be measuring Internet use as a variable to be considered in determining the impact of the Internet on interpersonal social relations. The sample will consist of 100 individuals. The questionnaires will be distributed among undergraduate students at a local university in the US with the aid of the administrators of the local university. The validity of the results of the study depend on the integrity and reliability of the methods used to measure and reflect the results of the study (Newman and Benz 31). Therefore, a sample 2t test will be conducted on the sample population to ascertain whether or not they are representative of the wider population of youth between the ages of 18 and 21 attending university. In order to ensure that the data and the results of the data are reliable, the researcher will comply with ethical standards of research. In this regard, since none of the participants are below the age of 18, consent is not an issue. This means that the respondents are of the age of consent and are at liberty to give their consent to participating in the research. Therefore, the respondents will be required to sign a consent form acknowledging that they agree to participate in the study. However, consent must always be freely given (Creswell 97). As Creswell states, consent to participate in a study “must always be seen as voluntary” (Creswell 97). Thus the consent form will inform the respondents of the purpose of the research and will inform them that should they agree to participate in the study, they are not bound by that consent and they are free to withdraw from the study at any time after given their consent. This ensures that all completed questionnaires were freely completed and most likely authentic since the respondent had the option to withdraw at will. Privacy and confidentiality are also important ethical standards. In this regard, the consent form will also inform the respondents that their identities will be protected and that they will not be identified by name or otherwise in the published research report. Moreover, the researcher will have full and sole custody of the data and will destroy the data within six months after the publication of the research report. In order to further ensure reliability by ensuring the free and voluntary participation of the respondents, no rewards will be offered for participation in the research. Likewise, no force of any kind will be used. For example, the researcher will not attempt to persuade the respondent to participate in the research by putting any kind of pressure on the respondent. The respondent will be left to make that decision on his or her own without fear or pressure or without expectation of a reward. By taking this approach, the participants’ responses to the questionnaires are more reliable. Another ethical issue is the risk of harm to human subjects participating in research studies. The human subjects participating in this research are only required to complete a questionnaire where they will merely circle the response that they choose. Therefore the risk of harm is minimal in that there might only be some inconvenience. In order to safeguard against inconvenience to the respondents the questionnaires will be sent to the respondents through the university and the respondent will collect the completed questionnaires in person at a specific time and date. In summary, this research will take a quantitative approach to the research question. A questionnaire will be used for collecting measurable dependent and independent variables. The sample population will be a nonrandom purposive sample. The data will be measured and analyzed using SPSS software and steps will be taken to test the internal consistency of the questionnaire results and whether or not the population sample is representative of the wider population of young Americans. Works Cited Blankenship, Diane. Applied Research and Evaluation Methods in Recreation. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2010. Creswell, John, W. Research Design: Qualitative, Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2014. Goertz, Gary and Mahoney, James. A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012. Kraut, Robert; Patterson, Michael; Lundmark, Vicki; Kiesler, Sara; Mukopadhyay, Tridas and Scherlis, William. “Internet Paradox: A Social Technology that Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being?” American Psychology, Vol. 53(9) (September 1998): 1017-1031. Matei, Sorin and Ball-Rokeach, Sandra, J. “Real and Virtual Social Ties: Connections in the Everyday Lives of Seven Ethnic Neighborhoods.” American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 45(3) (November 2001): 552-566. Newman, Isadore and Benz, Carolyn, R. Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology. Chicago, ILL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1998. Petroczi, Andrea; Nepusz, Tamas and Bazso, Fulop. “Measuring Tie-Strength in Virtual Social Networks.” Connections, Vol. 27(2) (2007): 39-52. Ryff, Carol, D. and Singer, Burton. “Interpersonal Flourishing: a Positive Health Agenda For the New Millennium.” Pers. Soc. Psychol. Rev. Vol. 4(1), February 2000: 30-44. United States Department of Commerce. Household Broadband Adoption Climbs to 72.4 Percent. National Telecommunications & Information Administration, June 6, 2013. Web February 11, 2014. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2013/household-broadband-adoption-climbs-724-percent United States Department of Labor. Economic News Release: American Time Use Survey Summary. Bureau of Labor Statistics. June 20, 2013. Web February 11, 2014. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm Ye, Qiang; Fang, Bin; He, Wei and Hseig, JJ, Po-An. “Can Social Capital Be Transferred Cross the Boundary of the Real and Virtual Worlds? An Empirical Investigation of Twitter.” Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 13(2) (2012): 145-156. Young, Kristy. “Social Ties, Social Networks and the Facebook Experience.” International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, Vol. 9(1) (2011): 20-34. Read More