INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

The Increased Use of Social Media-Based Communication and Its Impact on Users
Ability to Communicate Offline
Reyhan Saritoprak
Margaret Johnston
Megan Earle
John Carroll University

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

Introduction
One in five couples meet online (Qualman, 2011). Three in five gay couples meet
online (Qualman, 2011). One in five divorces are blamed on Facebook (Qualman, 2011).
A new member joins LinkedIn every second (Qualman, 2011). 37 million people watched
the VW Darth Vader Super Bowl ad on Youtube (Qualman, 2011). 93% of marketers use
social media for business (Qualman, 2011). Facebook added over 200 million users in
less than a year (Qualman, 2011). Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber, and Brittney Spears have
more twitter followers than the entire population of Sweden, Israel, Greece, Chile, North
Korea, and Australia (Qualman, 2011). If you made Wikipedia into a book, it would be
comprised of over 2.25 million pages and would take over 123 years to read (Qualman,
2011). If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the World (Qualman,
2011). This is the growing realm of social media.
Because over 50% of the world is under 30 years old, the target age for social
media, it is becoming increasingly important to research and understand how it affects
societys ability as a whole to communicate effectively in person and practice correct
rhetoric (Qualman, 2013). With the increase in Social Networking site traffic over the
past 10 years, social media is rapidly becoming the most common form of
communication. Because social media is one of the fastest growing means of
communication today, it is important to analyze how the use of this technology affects
users socially and psychologically. Our research will explore the way Social Media
creates a virtual security blanket or crutch for users, allowing them to get around
communicating with others face to face, and focusing on how it inhibits the development
of interpersonal skills. Many jobs in todays market require and/or value an applicant

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

with well-developed and tactful interpersonal skills. Therefore, it is ever more important
to understand what prohibits our proficiency in such fields. We will discuss how Social
Media, in fact, makes us less social beings. The purpose of our research is to delve into
the social and psychological issues created by this shift in primary communication
means.
Literature Review
Social Media Based Communication
According to Cho and Park (2013), social media is media for social interaction
as a super-set beyond social communication. Enabled by ubiquitously accessible and
scalable communication techniques, social media has substantially changed the way
organizations, communities, and individuals communicate (p. 242).
In this day and age social media has hindered how people communicate
personally because many times it is easier to contact them through a social networking
website. This allows individuals to lose social skills and makes them rely on the internet
to communicate. For many people social networking sites are an escape for those who are
unable to properly disclose information in person. They use these social networking sites
to express themselves and communicate without face to face interaction (Notten &
Kraaykamp, 2009).
The article by Vitak (2012) helps explain why people use social media sites and
how they disclose information. There is efficient statistical evidence in the study and it
also gives solid quantitative information. Another article by Doer (2012) explains how
quickly people can receive information through social media. We are all becoming slaves
of social media (Doer, 2012). A weakness of this article is the length of the material but

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

there are efficient quantitative statistics that help explain how these rumors are spread.
This article does not contain as much information about socialization but does have
aspects that explain how people communicate online.
Social media plays a drastic role in todays society and in peoples everyday lives.
Correa (2010) explains why and how people use social media websites. Specifically,
Correas (2010) study shows that 90% of people use these sites to simply stay in touch
with people that they already know. She explains how 75% of people under the age of 25
who use the internet have a social network page. These sights are more popular amongst
the youth and are now becoming more popular for adults as well. Teenagers in high
school are said to check their social media page at least once per day and studies show
that college students can spend up to 3 hours per day on social networking sites. The
weakness of this article is that there is not enough demographic information. We dont
know where these people are from and social media use changes from country to country.
If people are spending more time on the internet and less time socializing in
public are youth will begin to lose social skills. Social media is allowing us to
communicate simply by the internet and is making us lazy.
Weisers (2001) segment explains how the spread of technology and social media
have disconnected people from the real world. In his words, he states that the internet and
social media is addictive and that it is breaking social ties amongst friends and family.
Also that social media distances us from our real life relationships and can make us feel
lonely. The article has good points but needs some extra information on the social media
aspect. It does explain though how the internet alters face to face communication.

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

Our studies confirm why people use these networks, and how Social media has
allowed these people to shy away from interpersonal interactions.
Face to face based socialization
Traditionally, socialization includes face to face interactions through a group of
gathered people. Face to face interaction means that there is contact made in the physical
presence of someone else. Every day we come across face to face socialization when we
are with our family at home, with our friends at school, co-workers at work, and other
gatherings throughout the day (Riedl, Kbler, Goswam, & Krcmar, 2013). Typically in
todays world, socialization has merged into a more modern way of socializing. In this
new kind of socialization, people are now communicating and interacting through
computers on social media.
Of course, there are negative and positive sides to face to face socialization
changing. Weiser (2001) says the internet has been linked and corresponds to the
decrease in time spent with others face to face. He also notes that being on the internet for
social purposes, such as social media sites, have a negative influence on a persons wellbeing by reducing their social integration. Similarly. Baym, Yan Bing, Kunkel, Ledbetter,
and Mei-Chen (2007) say that technology plays an increasing role in interpersonal
relationship communication. They also make a comparing point that social media on
computers create a non-verbal atmosphere. Thus, making it hard to develop relationships
with emotional closeness that a face to face relationship would have. The articles agree
that social media takes away from face to face interactions and socialization.
Most of the research we have read would suggest that face to face socialization is
better for the well-being of people, but in some articles however, there is a positive side

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

to the modern way of socialization through social media. Weiser (2001) found that under
certain circumstances negative socialization effects from the internet are not always true.
Along with Vitak (2012), both agreed that under certain circumstances the internet and
social network sites allow people to disclose more than they would in person. A certain
circumstance like being gay or having an unusual political view would be a reason some
individuals disclose more on the internet, in which case, creating more socialization that
would not normally be done face to face.
There does not seem to be much information on the methods humans use while
communicating with each other or factors that will help individuals become more
effective communicators. All articles seem to have positives and negatives to the internet
and social network sites. It is unclear whether the internet has positive or negative effects
on the majority or what determines the effects. Through our research we will try to find
the psychological consequences for the majority of John Carroll students taking our
survey. Our research is unique because we will be asking a variety of questions in our
survey that will fill the gaps in some of the previous research done.
RQ1: Is there a relationship between those who are members of an organization and
those who are not members of an organization in terms of how much time they spend on
social media?
H1: Those who are members of organizations tend to spend more time on social media
than those who are not.
RQ2: Is there a relationship between Facebook users and non-Facebook users in terms of
their preference of communication?

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

H2: Those who are Facebook users prefer to communicate via social media than those
who are not.
RQ3: Is there a relationship between the number of social media sites students are a
member of and the frequency of interpersonal interactions they have on a daily basis?
H3: Students who are members of more social media sites are less likely to have face to
face interactions daily.
Methods
For our sample, we chose to give our survey to different age groups. We chose
college students, ranging from the ages of 18 to over 21, high school students of the age
13-16, and an older crowd over 21. We also had a non-random convenience sample of
both male and female. Of our college student samples, they were John Carroll students.
Our high school students ranged from an all-boys private high school and girls from a
public high school. We selected our college, high school, and over 21 group samples at
non-random convenience.
Our survey was distributed multiple ways. We started out handing our college
samples hard copies of our survey to fill out by hand. We also emailed copies of our
survey majority of our samples and received the answers back in an email. Although the
response rate of receiving the answers back was not as great at the 95 numbers of surveys
sent out, we still received enough samples. Our final responses we received were 80
samples.
The two constructs we measured were the use of social media and social
interactions. We measured the usage of social media site like Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and LinkedIn compared to interactions face to face. We compared the number

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

of responses from people who are members of an organization to how much time they
spent on social media daily. We also compared the number of responses of people who
use Facebook, and what kind of social interactions they prefer.
For our statistical analysis, we began with keeping our results organized in an
excel spreadsheet so we could then easily analyze. We used a chi chart, t-test and
correlations test to analyze our statistics. Within each of these charts and tests, we tested
the relationship between organizations and time spent on social media, and Facebook
users and types of social media.
Results
The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between students usage of social
media and their interpersonal relationships. This section shows you the statistical analysis
of our research through frequency tables contingency tables, t-test, chi-square test and
correlation test.

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

Descriptive AnalysisFrequency Table
Time Spent on Social
Media Daily
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
More than 6 hours
Total

Number of People

Percentage

46
29
4
1
80

57.5%
36.25%
5%
1.25%
100%

Male

Female

31
12
2
0
45

15
17
2
1
35

Number of People

Percentage

8
34
30
8
80

10%
42.5%
37.5%
10%
100%

Male

Female

6
17
18
4
45

4
16
11
4
35

Contingency Table
Time Spent on Social
Media Daily
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
More than 6 hours
Total
Frequency Table
Time Spent with
Friends in Person
Daily
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
More than 6 hours
Total
Contingency Table
Time Spent with
Friends in Person
Daily
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
More than 6 hours
Total

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

10

Inferential AnalysisRQ1: Is there a relationship between those who are members of an organization and
those who are not members of an organization in terms of how much time they
spend on social media?
Data Set for t-test
ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

Member
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Time on Social Media

1
1
2
1
2
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
2
4
2
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1
1

11

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1

2
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
2
2

Transformed data set for t-test:

Group 1 (Yes)
1
1
2
2
1
3
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Group 2 (No)
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
1
2
2
1

12

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

1
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
4
2
1
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
1
1
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
2

13

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

14

Calculation Results
P value and statistical significance:
The two-tailed P value equals 0.8288
By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be not statistically
significant.
Confidence interval:
The mean of YES minus NO equals 0.04
95% confidence interval of this difference: From -0.34
to 0.42
Intermediate values used in
calculations:
t = 0.2170 df= 78
Standard error of difference = 0.189
Review your data:
Group
YES

NO

Mean

1.51

1.47

SD

0.66

0.64

SEM

0.08

0.17

65

15

Results Statement
The p-value is 0.8288. That means that there is an 82.88% chance that the difference
between those who belong to an organization and those who do not belong to an
organization regarding the time they spend on social media daily is simply due to random
errors. Since the p-value is much larger than a conventional criteria (p=.05), the
difference between being a member of an organization or not and the time spent on social
media is not statistically significant.
Conc1lusion
The average social media use among people that were members of an organization was 12 hours daily while for those who were not members of an organization was also close to
1- 2 hours daily. This shows us that social media use and being a member of an
organization was not statistically significant (p=0.8288)

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

15

RQ2: Is there a relationship between Facebook users and non-Facebook users in

terms of their preference of communication?
Frequency Table for Chi-square test
FB USER

NONFB USER

Social Media

Email

24

26

Text

44

50

72

80

Calculation Results
Obs (row %)
Social Media
Email
Text

FB

NON FB

Total

0 (0.0)

2 (100.0)
24 (92.3)
44 (88.0)

2 (7.7)

26

6 (12.0)

50

Totals

72

80

Expected (X)

FB

NON FB

Social Media

3.6 (0.2)

0.4 (-0.6)

Email

23.4 (0.1)

2.6 (-0.4)

Text

45.0 (-0.1)

5.0 (0.4)

Expected frequencies and X= (Observed expected)/expected^.5

X2 = 0.8205 ; df= 2 ; P =0.6635

Trend 0.7905 P =
0.3740
TABLE:
FB
Social Media
Email
Text

NON FB

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

16

Result Statement
There is a 66.35 % chance (p=0.6635) that the difference between Facebook users and
Non-Facebook users in terms of their preference of online communication is due to
random errors. Since the p-value s larger than a conventional criteria (p=.05), the
difference between Facebook users or Non-Facebook users and preference of online
communication are not statistically significant.

Conclusion
Among the people who chose to use texting as their preference of communication 44
(88%) were Facebook users, while 92 % (24 out of 26) Facebook users preferred email to
communicate. However, the difference between the preferred communication and
Facebook user or not was not statistically significant (p=0.6635).

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

17

RQ3: Is there a relationship between the number of social media sites students are a
member of and the frequency of interpersonal interactions they have on a daily
basis?

ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Number of
Social media
sites
3
3
3
3
3
2
3
3
3
2
3
2
4
3
3
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
3
2

Interpersonal
interactions
4
4
5
5
4
3
5
5
2
5
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
5
5
5

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68

2
2
3
2
2
3
4
2
3
2
3
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
4
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
4
2
3
2
2
2
3
3
2

5
4
5
5
4
4
5
5
5
3
5
5
3
3
4
3
3
5
5
4
5
4
4
3
5
5
4
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
4

18

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80

3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

19

3
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
5
4
5
3

Calculation Result:
The correlation coefficient was 0.2125 between number of social media sites you are a
member of and interpersonal interactions
Conclusion:
The correlation analysis shows that there is a positive but very weak correlation (0.2125)
between the number of social media sites one is a member of and the amount of
interpersonal interactions people have face to face daily. In other words, the results imply
that the students who use social media more are more likely to have face to face daily
interactions, but the relationship was very weak.

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

20

Discussion
The three statistical tests were very revealing in terms of the conclusions we drew
from our research. Even though the three tests we did were not statistically significant,
conclusions can be made for future researchers to draw from.
First, the t-test to study our first hypothesis was the most revealing test of the
study. Our hypothesis was that those who are members of an organization tend to spend
more time on social media than those who are not members of an organization. However,
we cannot draw any conclusion from the data due to the lack of statistical significance.
The p-value for our t-test was too high (0.8288). No conclusion can be drawn if
there is an 82.88% chance that the difference between those who belong to an
organization and those who do not belong to an organization regarding the time they
spend on social media daily is simply due to random errors. Therefore, our hypothesis
was not supported to be true. This seems to confirm previous studies that agree there is
no statistical difference on whether those who are members or not in terms of the time
they spend on social media (Notten & Kraaykamp, 2009).
Our second hypothesis was that those who are Facebook users prefer to
communicate via social media more than those who are Non-Facebook users. The chisquare test revealed that among the people who chose to use texting as their preference of
communication 44 (88%) were Facebook users, while 92 % (24 out of 26) Facebook
users preferred email to communicate. These results, also, did not support our hypothesis.
More Facebook users we surveyed preferred texting to communicate. The chi-square test
gave us a p-value of 0.6635, which is much higher than the standard 0.05. However,
Correa (2013) talks about that some social media users may prefer other types of

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

21

communication rather than social media itself due to the fact that not everybody is a
member of a social media network.
Finally, our correlation test was based on the relationship between number of
social media sites students are a member of and the frequency of interpersonal
interactions they have on a daily basis. Our hypothesis was students who are members of
more social media sites are less likely to have face to face interactions daily.
The correlation coefficient was 0.2125, which indicated a positive, yet very weak
correlation between the two concepts. In other words, the results imply that the students
who use social media more are more likely to have face to face daily interactions, but the
relationship was very weak. This test did not support our hypothesis.
Conclusion
Our research attempted to survey 10 to 23 year olds and their social media usage.
Our data collection attempted to analyze social media usage, interpersonal
communication patterns, and how these two affect each other. We used a convenience
sample of participants and collected surveys hardcopy and electronic. While our research
was inconclusive and did not provide any correlation between data sets, previous studies
do provide significant correlation. Therefore, it would be important to adjust our research
methods and survey questions and conduct this research again to gain more accurate
results.
If this research was continued, it would be important to expand the sample group
to cover all ages. It would also be important to see the effects across different cultures.
Our research was fairly limited by our sample size, therefore, we could not accurately
account for the population we were attempting to assess. The research was also limited

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

22

by our collection method. We utilized a convenience sample due to ease of collection,

instead of a random sample survey which would have better accounted for the population.
In the future it would be important to utilize this type of survey for the results to more
accurately depict the population.

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

23

Reference List
Baym, N. K., Yan Bing, Z., Kunkel, A., Ledbetter, A., & Mei-Chen, L. (2007). Relational
quality and media use in interpersonal relationships. New Media & Society, 9(5), 735752.
Cho, S., & Park, H. (2013). A qualitative analysis of cross-cultural new media research:
SNS use in Asia and the West. Quality & Quantity, 47(4), 2319-2330.
Correa, T., Hinsley, A., & de Ziga, H. (2010). Who interacts on the Web?: The
intersection of users personality and social media use. Computers In Human
Behavior,26(2), 247-253.
Doer, B., (2012). Why Rumors Spread So Quickly in Social Networks. Communications
of the ACM, 55(6), 70-75.
Notten, N., & Kraaykamp, G. (2009). Parents and the media: A study of social
differentiation in parental media socialization. Poetics, 37(3), 185-200.
Qualman, E., (2011). Social Media 2013. Socialnomics, 58(6), 125-150.
Riedl, C., Kbler, F., Goswami, S., & Krcmar, H. (2013). Tweeting to Feel Connected: A
Model for Social Connectedness in Online Social Networks. International Journal Of
Human-Computer Interaction, 29(10), 670-687.
Vitak, J. (2012). The Impact of Context Collapse and Privacy on Social Network Site
Disclosures. Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 56(4), 451-470.
Weiser, E. B. (2001). The Functions of Internet Use and Their Social and Psychological
Consequences. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 4(6), 723-743.

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

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Dear Participant,
You are invited to participate in our research study. The
purpose of our research is to ask you about your social
media usage and your interpersonal relationships.
The information you give us will be used in our CO 201
Research project. It will not be published.
Your answers are completely confidential. You will not be
identified when we analyze the results of this survey.
Please answer the questions as truthfully as possible.
There is no right or wrong answers.
You can refuse to participate or stop participating at any
time if the questions make you feel uncomfortable.
By completing and submitting this survey, you are
indicating your consent to participate in the study. Your
participation is appreciated.
Thank you for your participation in this survey.
Please Sign and Date below:
____________________________________________________
Signature

____________
Date

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

25

Part 1: We would like to ask you about your usage of social media.
Q1-1. Are you a member of any type of social media site?
A. Yes

B. No

Q1-2. If yes, how many social media sites are you a member of?
A. 0
B. 1-2
C. 3-4
D. 5 or more
Q2. Which media site do you use the most? ____________
A. Facebook
B. Twitter
C. Instagram
D. LinkedIn
Q3. How much time do you spend on social media daily?
A. 1-2 hours
B. 3-4 hours C. 5-6 hours
D. More than 6 hours
Q4-1. Do you have Facebook? (Circle one)
Yes
No
Q4-2. If so, how many friends do you have on Facebook?
A. 200 or less B. 200-500 C. 600-900
D. 1000-1500
more

E. 1500 or

Indicate in the space provided the degree to which each statement applies to you by
marking whether you (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) neutral, (4) disagree, or (5)
strongly disagree.
Q5. _____ I use social media everyday
Q6. _____ I use social media for entertainment purposes.
Q7. _____ I use social media to gain information about people.
Q8. _____ I communicate with more people via social media rather than face to face
Part 2: Now we would like to ask about your interpersonal relationships.
Q1. On a scale of 0-10 how many interpersonal interactions do you have face to face
daily?
(0 being the least 5 being the most)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Q2. On a scale of 0-10 do you get nervous in a formal face to face conversation?
(0 being the least 5 being the most)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Q3-1. What type of communication do you prefer?
A. Online (computer/new technology-mediated)

B. Face to Face

INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED COMMUNICATION

26

Q3-2. If you prefer, online communication, whats do you like/prefer the most?
A. Social Media

B. Email

C. Text

Q4. How much time do you spend with your friends in person daily?
A. 1-2 hours
B. 3-4 hours
C. 5-6 hours
D. More than 6 hours
Q5-1. Are you a member of any organizations, sports or clubs?
Yes
No
Q5-2. If so, how many organizations are you belong to?
A. 1-2
B. 3-4
C. 5-6
D. 6 or more
Indicate in the space provided the degree to which each statement applies to you by
marking whether you (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) neutral, (4) disagree, or (5)
strongly disagree.
Q6. _____ When I order pizza I prefer to order online rather than call
Q7. _____ When I order food I usually call the restaurant
Q8. _____ When trying to get in touch with a professor I would prefer to email a
teacher rather than visiting their office hours
Part 3: The following questions are for clarification purposes.
Q1. What is your gender?
Male
Female
Q2. What is your age?
A.10-12
B.13-15
Q3. Where are you from?
A. The United States

C. 16-18

D. 19-21

E. Older than 21

B. Outside of the United States