The Impact of Mobile Devices on

CommunicationChad Chmura

Could you manage to make it through a day without your cell phone? If so, could you go a week without it?

The common answer to these questions show how dependent humans have become on their mobile devices.

The communication process has evolved so much because of cell phones that it is difficult to imagine what life would be like without them.

Introduction

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How many different methods of mobile communication are there?

How has mobile communication changed how humans interact?

What are the apparent benefits and deficiencies of these forms of communication?

Are there potential health hazards related to the use of mobile devices?

Research Questions

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"Using GPS-Enabled Cell Phones to Track the Travel Patterns of Adolescents." – J. Fortenberry

Describes how GPS tracking was used to study the daily routines of a group of teenagers.

The researchers found the accuracy of the tracking to be surprising.

It is possible for parents to trackwhere their children are, whatthey are doing, and who theyare with.

Literature Review

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"Communication Problems." – Leslie Haddon In the 1990’s, over 37% of people found phone calls

disruptive at some points of every day.People left the phone off the hook to stop the calls. In the later 1990’s, caller ID helped determine what

calls to answer.As cell phones grow more popular, so does the

“Ignore” button.Each release of new phone technology gives call

receivers more control over their communication.

Literature Review

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“FDA concurs with British finding on lack of cancer link to cell phone use.”

In the initial years of cell phone popularity, studies showed a link between exposure to the small radiofrequency exposure emitted by cell phones and cancer.

The same studies were repeated in 2005, using more modern cell phones, and the same results failed to be replicated.

Modern device technology exposes users toless radiofrequency radiation.

Literature Review

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"Invisible Whispers: Accounts of SMS Communication in Shared Physical Space." – Aksel Tjora

Researched common uses for texting - includes flirting/dating, warning/assisting friends, coordinating discreetly, asking about other people present, commenting on a situation as it unfolds, avoiding interruption, and making practical jokes.

Gave examples from the study.Some advantages of texting as opposed to calling:

More convenient Less disruptive Faster Less confrontational

Literature Review

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"Emotional Attachment and Mobile Phones." – Jane Vincent

“We interact with a mobile phone in a way that we do not with other devices. We fondle it, we clutch it in times of crisis, and we know that our loved ones are doing the same.”

Article states that some humans develop an unhealthy attachment to their phone.

Interactions with the opposite sex arethe largest cause of attachment.

Literature Review

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"Text Messaging During Simulated Driving" - Joel Cooper

Conducted a study using a driving simulator to compare driving ability with and without texting.

Results of the study:0.3 second delay in braking reaction time3 meter decrease in following distance600% increase in accident rate

Literature Review

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Further benefits of text messagingDelayed response time is more acceptableMore time to think of a ‘tactful’ response

Further benefits of GPS trackingPolice can monitor traffic flowIf phone is left in a stolen car or handbag, it

can be traced.Possible to track a crime suspect and prove

they were at the crime scene.Also able to track proximity of sex offenders to

schools/playgrounds

Discussion

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The telephone is still rapidly developingHumans will adapt their communication

process to any new phone technologies in the future

Dependencies on mobile communications make it difficult to imagine life without a cell phone.

Cell phones have undoubtedly effected the communication of most people

Conclusion

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Questions?

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Cooper, Joel M., et al. "Text messaging during simulated driving." Human Factors 51.5 (2009): 762+. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Oct. 2011

Fortenberry, J. Dennis. "Using GPS-enabled cell phones to track the travel patterns of adolescents." International Journal of Health Geographics 7.(2008): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.

Haddon, Leslie. "Communication Problems." Knowledge, Technology & Policy 19.1 (2006): 19-27. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.

Tjora, Aksel H. "Invisible Whispers: Accounts of SMS Communication in Shared Physical Space." Convergence: The Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 17.2 (2011): 193-211. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.

Vincent, Jane. "Emotional Attachment and Mobile Phones." Knowledge, Technology & Policy 19.1 (2006): 39-44. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011

"FDA concurs with British finding on lack of cancer link to cell phone use." Journal of Clinical Engineering Apr.-June 2005: 66. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

References