User:Jacobster42/sandbox

Smartphones and Interpersonal Communication

In 2012, Andrew Przybylski and Netta Weinstein, of the University of Essex, conducted a study to show how smartphones can damage relationships. “They found that simply having a phone nearby, without ever checking it, is detrimental to our attempts at interpersonal connection.” The study consisted of 100 pairs of strangers who talked for ten minutes in a private room with a book and either a phone or notebook. Each participant filled out a survey at the conclusion of the ten minutes. 71% of the pairs did not use a phone during the 10 minute conversation while 29% of the pairs were using phones. Przybylski and Weinstein concluded that interactions without a cellphone help promote connectedness, a feeling of empathy, and interpersonal trust.

Paul Booth, PhD, an assistant professor at DePaul University in Chicago said, “There has been a shift in the way we communicate; rather than face-to-face interaction, we prefer mediated communication. We’d rather email than meet; we’d rather text than call.” Through contact and communication on social media, relationships are weaker and are not as connected as traditional face-to-face relationships. Jacobster42 (talk) 04:10, 9 October 2015 (UTC)