Article by Adriana Sofia Palloks (✉ adriana.palloks@univie.ac.at)
The rise of digitalization and the development of new technologies are continuously creating further possibilities for digital networking. Although the smartphone has been accompanying us for almost two decades as one of the main means of communication, there is yet no consensus in research as to whether smartphones strengthen or possibly undermine relationships with close ties. The study by Anja Stevic and Jörg Matthes of the University of Vienna in collaboration with Desirée Schmuck and Kathrin Karsay of KU Leuven examined this particular research question.
In a two-wave panel study with 461 participants, the research team investigated the consequences of smartphone use on the quantity (frequency) and quality of relationships with family and friends. The usage was distinguished between communicative and noncommunicative smartphone use. Communicative meaning using the smartphone for active communicative exchanges, such as making phone calls, texting, receiving and sending emails, or sharing photos, and noncommunicative use indicating any other type of usage, such as searching for information, reading the news, watching videos, or scrolling through the social media feed. The authors argue that this distinction is highly necessary since "the consequences of smartphone use on face-to-face communication depend on how the smartphone is being used".
The results show that communicative smartphone use has a positive effect on quantity, thus on the frequency of exchange with close ties. Overall, online communication with friends reveals to be higher because, according to the study participants, they spend more time with their families on average and therefore maintain contact with friends primarily through their smartphones. Against this, the communicative smartphone use does not have an influence on the quality of relationships, indicating that the quality of real-life relationships is not improved through smartphone communication.
The noncommunicative use of the smartphone has consequences for the quantity of exchanges, since the time spent doing passive and noncommunicative activities on the smartphone leaves less time for offline social interactions. Yet the good news is that noncommunicative use has no impact on the quality of relationships.
Anja Stevic came to the following conclusion: "What we can learn from this study relates to our smartphone literacy. Being aware of how we use smartphones is key to tailoring it best to our needs and goals. In that sense, knowing what can take away our time from close relationships and what can actually benefit them is one step closer to having better social lives immersed with omnipresent technology."
Publication details
Stevic, A., Schmuck, D., Karsay, K., & Matthes, J. (2021). Are smartphones enhancing or displacing face-to-face communication with close ties? A panel study among adults. International Journal of Communication, 15, 792-813.