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Communication takes on new forms and meanings in a world where anyone can reach anybody at any time. By Sarah McGill
People with cell phones don’t make the best dinner companions, said comedian Jerry Seinfeld in one of his routines. They place their phone in the center of the table—letting you know you’re not their only option. If you want their full attention, Seinfeld said, you’re better off going outside and calling that phone.
CBS News reported last year that nine of 10 college students carry cell phones. A study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 32 percent of college students said they couldn’t live without their cell phones.
Around campus and in just about every building, you are as likely to overhear cell conversations as live ones. And when the phones aren’t in use, they’re often right there where Seinfeld said they would be, on a table.
Eric Gerhardstein fiddled with his cell phone as he read a book. Though he doesn’t have a land-line phone, the senior history major was the rare student to admit that he is not an avid cell user. And those who are bug him. “You should be aware of your surroundings,” he said.
Casey Rife, a junior majoring in science, reflected the norm when she confessed, “I’m lost without [my cell phone], usually.”
Cell phones are just the tip of the technological iceberg of 21st century communication among college students. Gerhardstein and Rife said they also talk with friends via Facebook, a social networking service. Facebook reportedly has 7.5 million college student accounts and is the seventh most visited Web site.
“That’s like a daily thing for most people,” said junior Jessica Lee, an exercise science major. The average 18- to 24-year-old spends 6.5 hours per week at a social networking site, according to a Harris Interactive poll. “It’s a good way to get hold of a lot of people,” said Debbie Lurie, a senior psychology major who prefers the MySpace network.
Online communication technology such as MySpace, Facebook, and instant messaging has greatly expanded the number of people with whom college students share their lives. But that doesn’t mean they consider most of those people their friends.
“I’ll talk to people on instant message all the time that I wouldn’t talk to on the phone,” Gerhardstein said. He added that he’ll “de-face” people he doesn’t want to talk to; that is, he’ll remove them from his Facebook contacts.
“My friends are people I talk to regularly,” Rife said. The people she communicates with on Facebook are merely “acquaintances you pass by or say hi to.”
The segmenting of relationships is a phenomenon brought about by online technology, said Artemio Ramirez, a professor in the School of Communication.
Through online technology, “we are able to maintain stronger relationships with traditionally weaker ties,” said Matthew Eastin, also a communication professor. These people “don’t become part of your main support network. . . . You can’t really rely on the people you don’t really know.”
Online tools “let us manage our time,” Ramirez said. “A lot of this is done strategically.” People might send an e-mail at 2 a.m., when they know they won’t get a response, or send a text message when a person is in class. Ramirez knows of people who used e-mail to break up with someone. “It’s sort of a New Age version of the ‘Dear John’ letter.”
Online communication technology can be a two-edged sword. For example, it can be used to strengthen family ties. “Some families have set up bulletin boards to disseminate information to family members,” Ramirez said. “You’re getting a wider spread of information, and you’re getting it faster.”
On the other hand, having everyone you know—and then some—just a click away has its drawbacks. Being bombarded with e-mails can be overwhelming and lead to stress, said psychology professor Charles Emery. He’s aware of colleagues who address the situation by responding to non-work-related e-mails only once a week, but they risk angering people who expect a quick response, he said.
And even messages the sender intends to be private can become public—and potentially embarrassing—if the receiver forwards them to a group or copies them to an online bulletin board, Emery said.
Similarly, the speed of online connections means people may respond quickly and rashly to a message “and may be more likely to communicate things they later regret. It is often difficult to capture the subtle nuances of communication via e-mail,” he said.
The ubiquitous nature of cell phones and online technology means people are accessible all the time. Consequently, Ramirez said, when you don’t answer your cell phone, the caller may wonder if you are screening his or her call.
“In some ways it’s changing the nature of our relationships. You really have sort of lost your right to your privacy.”
*This article appeared in the January/February 2007 issue of Ohio State Alumni Magazine. The magazine is a benefit of membership in the Alumni Association. Learn more about the benefits of membership and how you can make Ohio State stronger at membership services, or call 1-800-762-JOIN.
