Relational Maintenance via Text Messaging

Topic: Exploring how people maintain interpersonal relationships through the use of text messaging.

Research Question:

What role does text messaging play in maintaining relationships between people who co-locate on a regular basis?

How you gathered your data, challenges you faced, things you learned about research:

            The first method we used for our project was a quantitative survey, set up through SurveyMonkey, and announced via Facebook event. We chose this method because it was the easiest way to reach the requisite number of people for the project, and it was very successful. For the second method we had planned to schedule focus groups, but due to lack of participants we decided to do interviews instead. We mainly interviewed people we came in contact with. The biggest challenge we faced was shifting our original plan of doing focus groups to individual interviews, which enabled us do get the same quality of data.

            We learned scheduling our project was an extremely important tool for avoiding procrastination and executing this project well. We also enjoyed the team factor of this group because divide and conquer the work load. Through our research we found that texting was a more modern way of maintaining relationships, which is primarily used by younger adults. Most of our data supported our original hypotheses, but this project was a great way to explore the research process.

Findings and Discussion

Inshii (2006) discusses what type of communication methods people use within their interpersonal relationships and how frequently they communicate in those ways, and he found that mobile mail (texting included) devices were found to be more common among young people, whereas the older people used face-to-face more often. Our survey results support this by showing that 87 out of the 120 participants were in their twenties. Jones and Schieffelin (2009) also discuss how new media is changing the way young people communicate, and how it’s become a new social culture. In regards to distance communication, texting is one of the most preferred methods of communication, but it really depends on who is communicating, who you want to communicate with, and what it is you want to communicate. Phone calls are employed just as often (especially by the older generation), and other options such as Facebook, email and Skype are mentioned as well. From our data, we also found that texting is a lot more common amongst the younger generation, and that the majority of our interviewees believe there is a strong link between text messaging and age, as is suggested by one younger interviewee: “The way people text depends on their age. Not many older people text – they prefer to call. It’s a newer thing, so older people aren’t used to it and would rather use the method they are used to – phone calls.” We could conclude over all that many younger people think that most older people are not seen as having good texting skills (“Older people shouldn’t use technology. They aren’t good at it.”), and that the younger generation uses texting more often and depends on technology a lot more. Similarly to Inshii’s (2006) finding that social skills play a factor in whether people use texting a lot or not, we also found from our interviews that the younger generation would not communicate with friends or family as much without texting. This is because they did not grow up learning to keep in touch by calling people (regardless of their co-location status). Our surveys also showed that 69 out of the 120 (over half!) agreed or strongly agreed that if text messaging did not exist , their life would drastically change. Jones and Schieffelin (2009) claim that texting is negatively affecting the way young people communicate with each other, but we would argue it’s not that their social or communication skills are lacking or deteriorating, but more that they employ different social skills and methods of communication than previous generations (“Without texting, I wouldn’t communicate with people as much. I’m apathetic about calling people in general”). We conclude that texting falls into the realm of the younger generations. Those who are younger find that those of previous generations can’t text at all, refuse to text, are unable to text, are not good at texting, or just don’t text as frequently. Student status doesn’t seem to matter as much (though some said that students tend to text more).

Another finding we have was similar to Jin and Pena’s (2010) findings, where they discovered a connection between texting messaging and the feelings of uncertainty or unhappiness in relationships. They found that in relationships where texting is not the main form of communication used, the couples tend to have more feelings of love and happiness compared to feelings of worry or uncertainty. A lot of our interviewees mentioned this as being a reason to not text about certain problems or issues in interpersonal relationships. One participant exclaimed, “I won’t text message anything that could get emotional or easily misinterpreted.” When we asked our interviewees “What is something you wouldn’t do via text-message,” we had a lot of common answers. One interviewee said, “If [I were] confronting a problem over text, I would be afraid of the other person misunderstanding or misinterpreting what I have to say, and that is never good when emotions are involved.” Many other interviewees agreed that arguing, breaking up, or serious situations should not be handled over text messages, and that calling or talking face-to-face are better solutions. If it is handled in person, it is easier to convey all the information needed to that other person, without worrying about word-limit, as well as the emotion that text messages cannot portray. On the other hand, the survey did show that many of our participants rate their significant others as one of the groups they text the most (the third most common group, after friends and family), and it showed that 74 out of 120 said that text messaging plays an important or very important role in maintaining relationships. This would suggest that although people don’t rely solely on texting for maintaining a relationship, however, it still plays an important part in maintaining closeness. Texting helps keep people keep in touch by allowing them to communicate more often, but texting starts after a relationship has already been established, so it does not change the nature of the relationship.

O’Connell (2010) explains many reasons for why people choose text messaging over face-to-face communication. Many of the reasons he found are similar to the answers people gave us when we asked for the advantages and benefits of text messaging. The number one most common answer: “it’s easy!” Convenience is something that is highly valued in our society so its possible to see why text messaging is so popular. “It’s an easy way to keep in touch with someone!” O’Connell (2010) also shows how although texting is used a lot in maintaining relationships, it is not as common within romantic relationships. This goes back to what we said earlier about people not wanting to use texting if there is more emotion involved. Our findings show that texting does not play as big of a role if co-location is frequent between the texter and textee, therefore it is understandable that romantic relationships do not depend as much on texting. One participant stated, “Texting is not too important in maintaining relationships with people I see everyday anyways, however, I would easily lose contact with those I do not co-locate with often if I didn’t use texting.” Another participant said, “[Without texting] it would be harder to keep in touch. I would be a lonely hermit.” Again, this is supported by the survey results in which it was shown that friends are ranked number one as the group of people participants texts the most, followed by family.

Raacke and Bonds-Raacke (2011) examined the demographics of texting, which included a survey that looked at the kind of text plan people use, how many texts are sent/received, and the different reasons for engaging in text messages. We had very similar questions in our survey and interview, and our findings were similar to what we originally hypothesised and expected. The majority of our survey participants had unlimited texting and all of our interviewees had unlimited texting, although some of the reasons they had it varied. “I have unlimited because it is the number one way I communicate,” said one, while another interviewee stated that “I have unlimited because it was free with the plan and it is my main form of communication.”  Another interviewee proclaimed “I have unlimited because I text very often, and when I can’t receive a text, I’m incommunicado and miss out on what’s happening on that day.” In addition, Raacke and Bonds-Raacke (2011) also discussed three reasons for texting (covert communication, communication sharing, and communication avoidance), all of which were confirmed in our interviews, as one interviewee sums up, “[Texting is] easier to hide (while you’re working), you don’t have to say certain things out loud. It’s more private [and] it’s really convenient for informational purposes.”

Reid and Reid (2010) discuss both the positive and negative aspects text messaging can have on human emotions and relationships. The authors state that there is a link between text messaging and relationship building, and we clearly see both the positive and negative effects of texting in our interviewees’ answers to our advantage and disadvantages question. Reid and Reid (2010) talk about how texting is sometimes used as a way to deteriorate loneliness, although none of our interviewees mentioned that as a factor, though one did say “Text messaging gives me something to do when I’m bored.” In regards to relationship building, most of the interviewees said that being without texting would not significantly change their relationships, but it would significantly change their lives, with many stating that they would not communicate as much without the use of text messaging. Some interviewees said that it is not important or reliable for maintaining relationships, while others say it is very important. “Texting plays a very important role, my social life would drastically change if I did not have texting,” said one interviewee, while another said that his relationships would definitely be affected by not texting, stating “I would probably lose contact with a lot of people if I did not text.” As we reasoned earlier, one of our most important findings is that the youth of today use texting as social tool, which enables them to retain socializing skills, albeit in a form different from those of previous generations. We can observe from our findings, the younger generations have a tendency to allow mobile technology to play an important role in maintaining their relationships with people they see on a regular basis. We conclude that texting is important for keeping in contact, but it has little significance in maintaining relationships with people whom one co-locates with frequently (face-to-face is a more important factor when it comes to that). Texting becomes more significant when it comes to relationship maintenance with those whom one does not co-locate with frequently, but with whom the relationship is important.

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References

Please place in alphabetical order. Place an * next to all required scholarly sources.

*Inshii, K. (2006). Implications of mobility: The uses of personal communication media in

everyday life. Journal of Communications. 56, 346-365. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00023.x

*Jin, B. & Pena, J. (2010). Mobile communication in romantic relationships: Mobile phone use,

relational uncertainty, love, commitment, and attachment styles. Communication Reports,

23 (1), 39-51.

*Jones, G. & Schieffelin, B. (2009). Talking text and talking back: “My BFF Jill” from boob tube

to YouTube. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 1050-1079.

*O'Connell, M. (2010). To text or not to text: Reticence and the utilization of short message

services. Human Communication, 13(2), 87-102.

*Raacke, J., & Bonds-Raacke, J. (2011). An investigation of the dimensions of SMS

communication use by college students. Individual Differences Research, 9(4), 210-218.

*Reid, F. M., & Reid, D. J. (2010). The expressive and conversational affordances of mobile

messaging. Behaviour & Information Technology, 29(1), 3-22. doi:10.1080/01449290701497079