Cell Phones and Social Behavior

Mobile Technology (Cell Phones):

A Negative Impact on Adolescent Social Behavior

Emily K. Varga

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

ETEC 511: Foundations of Educational Technology

Professor Matiul Alam
December 7, 2013Mobile Technology (Cell Phones):
A Negative Impact on Adolescent Social Behavior

Ever since the first commercial cell phone call on October 13,
1983, cell phone use among the population has exploded. It took 75
years for the telephone to reach 50 million users, only 4 years for the
Internet to reach the same number of users, and yet applications such
as Draw Something took a mere 50 days (Digital Buzz Blog). Madden,
et al. (2013) reports that 78% of teens own a cell phone (p. 2), and a
study done by Harris Interactive (2008) reports that 42% of teens say
they can text blindfolded (slide 12). This impressive ability illustrates
the sheer impact of mobile phones on adolescents everyday lives: 57%
of teens view their cell phones as the key to their social life and 42%
would say their social life would end or be worsened if using their
phone was no longer an option (Harris Interactive, 2008). Despite this
positive viewpoint of the influence of mobile technology on their social
lives, I will argue that mobile technology (cell phones) has a negative
impact on adolescent social behavior.

CELL PHONES and INDEPENDENCE

While mobile phones were initially popular for their instrumental

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

use (information seeking or making appointments), it is the intrinsic use

for social purposes that have become more prominent (Peters and
Allouch, 2005, p. 242). Cell phones have allowed users to defy time and
space in that they provide the opportunity to interact without
restrictions of location and time. Quinn and Oldmeadow (2013)
describe this as The Martini Effect, which comes from the 1980s
martini advertisement anytime, anyplace, anywhere (p. 238). It
allows users to carry a physical and virtual conversation simultaneously
regardless of place, which in turn maintains a symbolic closeness to
conversations of importance. However, this anytime, anyplace,
anywhere technology has affected adolescents ability to be content
with their own company.
The ability to hold simultaneous conversations poses the issue of
reality versus digital reality and whether or not adolescents, who are
constantly developing their social skills, are able to successfully
maintain both realities. Adolescents are faced with the struggle of
maintaining their daily realities (school, work, family, friends) and their
digital realities (cell phones) concurrently. An adolescents reality
includes an expectedly healthy balance between school and personal
life, and family and friend obligations, whereas an adolescents digital
reality is comprised of essentially entertainment purposes. Teens use
their cell phone to communicate, play games, use social media, and
access the Internet. However, when used for communicating, there

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

exists a social normality that cell phones demand priority; cell phone
users expect their correspondents to respond immediately to text or
voice calls. Conversely, the effect of this demanding digital reality is
that it continually carries the adolescent away from the present. Each
time their cell phone lights up or makes a noise, the adolescent is
immediately drawn out of real life into a temporary sphere of activity
with a disposition all of its own (Wilson and Thang, 2007, p. 946).
However brief the absorption may be, this can consequently affect the
quality of their daily lives with constant interruptions and demands for
their time.
Not surprisingly, it has become commonplace for cell phones to
be visibly present in normal daily activities. Most adolescents have
become complacent with cell phones being present during face-to-face
conversations, and some even multitask between conversations being
held face-to-face and virtual conversations being held on their phones.
As a result, the distinction between private and public conversations
has essentially disappeared. For example, when taking any form of
public transportation one can observe this convergence as transit riders
force their fellow riders to listen in on a private phone conversation.
Similarly, visiting a local coffee shop reveals customers congregating
publiclyonly to sit privately on various forms of technology (Wilson
and Thang, 2007, p. 950). This phenomena is concerning when thinking
in terms of adolescents. They have become so used to having a device

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

attached to their hip that I fear it has become a social crutch. In my

practice I have observed that when faced with downtime, students
often turn to their phones for entertainment. The problem with this
impulse is that adolescents are reporting feelings of isolation when their
mobile phone is unavailable (Quinn and Oldmeadow, 2013, p. 239). For
example, Griffiths (2000) presents a case study where we are
introduced to a 16-year-old boy named Jamie who claims [technology]
is the most important thing in his life, and that he thinks about it even
when he is not using itif hes not connected, he worries he no longer
knows what is going on (p. 213). The anxiety associated with being
unable to use their phone has created a positive feedback loop by
further intensifying the impulsive behavior to turn to their phone when
faced with downtime.
One explanation for this impulsive behavior is that adolescents
want to give the impression that they are not alone:
People compensate for being alone and feeling vulnerable in
these situations by using self-defense mechanisms to justify their
singular presence in public spaces. (Humphreys, 2005, p. 814)
Valkenburg and Peter (2007) propose a social compensation
hypothesis to help explain the behavior, whereby adolescents who are
especially lonely and/or socially anxious often turn to technology for
communication (p. 270). If they are perceived to be busy by those
around them, they wont be perceived as being lonely or alone. If
adolescents remain enthralled with their cell phone, they will feel as

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

though they are connected with someone, and subsequently less alone.
Wei and Lo (2006) describe loneliness as an emotion centered on an
individuals discomfort toward others as related to a reduced use of
interpersonal communication (p. 58). However, it is important to note
that loneliness is not a perception by those around us, but rather a selfperceived deficit in ones relationships (Jin and Park, 2012, p. 2). The
issue centered on not feeling comfortable being alone is that
adolescents are unsure of what to do when faced with an unconnected
period of time. If they are waiting for a friend to return, or are
temporarily left alone, they often compulsively look at their phone to
check for messages or busy themselves with a new text conversation.
For instance, I have observed an instance when an adolescent checked
the time on their phone every few seconds as though they were
awaiting an impending message. Upon the return of their friend, the
looming message was soon forgotten. The vulnerability of being left
alone creates a need to be perceived as being otherwise occupied.
Adolescents have begun to lose the ability to feel comfortable being
alone with themselves.
CELL PHONES and SOCIAL SKILLS
Gary spends time with the computer to the exclusion of family
and friends. Mother sees the problem as a self-induced Catch 22
situation in that he will never make friends whilst he spends time
alone, but the action of spending time alone reduces his ability to
deal with other peopleHe appears to use the machine as an
electronic friendsome sort of escapism into his own world.
(Case study excerpt from Griffiths, 2000, p. 212)

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

The above Catch 22 situation poses the question of whether or

not mobile technology is a suitable substitute for face-to-face
conversation. Adolescence is a unique time in the lifecycle where
interaction with peers is key to feeling a sense of group membership,
and the mobile phone has become a facilitating tool (Ito, 2005, p. 133).
A study done by Harris Interactive (2008) reported that 45% of teens
believe that their cell phone is the key to their social lives:

Harris Interactive: A Generation Unplugged (2008)

Mobile phones are used to facilitate communication in two ways that

Aoki and Downes (2003) describe as micro-coordination and hypercoordination (p. 351). Micro-coordination is the use of a mobile device
to coordinate meetings as the need arises. Adolescents often rely on
this method to schedule time spent together and locate one another.
Hyper-coordination is the use of a mobile device for social and
emotional communication. Other than surface conversations (i.e.

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

where are you?), it is this social and emotional communication that

has been shown to help adolescents overcome social limitations and
help define group membership with feelings of belonging (Quinn and
Oldmeadow, 2013; Wei and Lo, 2006). However, it is also teaching
adolescents poor social skills that have them relying on the mobile
device to communicate.
Mobile technology hinders the development of adolescent
interpersonal social skills by altering normal social conventions.
Adolescents are learning that they have the opportunity to ponder over
their responses to text messages, which is negatively impacting their
ability to formulate impromptu responses to synchronous conversations.
Ling (2004) describes a case study subject, Ida (age 18), and her
preference for using text messages to communicate:
You have to have time to think You always use it in situations
like this because it gives the other person the chance to think
through and answer no. If the person is on the phone, it not
always so easy to answer no. (p. 151)
Using asynchronous text messages to communicate, adolescents are
able to spend time writing and re-writing responses, or formulating a
kind rejection to a question that may otherwise have been accepted.
While this is teaching them to express themselves, it is also diminishing
their confidence to express themselves during face-to-face interactions.
Adolescents are also becoming less committal with their scheduled
meetings, often responding to invitations at the last minute, and would
choose to send a text message rather than calling. To the great

Cell Phones and Social Behavior

extreme, phones have also been shown to be used to exclude peers

from social events (Ling, 2004, p. 154) and even terminate their social
and personal relationships (Jin and Park, 2012, p. 2). As well, many
adolescents are becoming so accustomed to choosing the mobile over
face-to-face that they dont recognize the difference between speaking
on their mobile phone and meeting face to face (Srivastava, 2005, p.
120). Adolescents turn to their mobile phones to avoid awkward
situations, hiding behind the screen so they dont have to face the
immediate consequences of their words. Recently I overheard a
conversation about an argument between friends. One adolescent was
commenting that the disagreeing party had given her the cold shoulder
earlier that day in the hallway. She was remarking that she was
planning to send an angry text message later about the hallway
incident. Even though the friends had ample opportunity to discuss
their differences in person, the adolescent still preferred to choose the
less confrontational method.
As a result, cell phones have reduced the quality of verbal
interactions because they may not require the same level of social
skills. The largest limitation is a lack of one of the principle elements
of human interaction (Srivastava, 200, p. 124). Whether voice- or textbased, cell phones do not allow for visual cues such as body language,
facial expression and touch, which are all necessary for an effective
conversation. Teens compensate for the lack of facial expression by

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 10

using emoticons, but the sincerity behind a smiley face can often be
ambiguous. Teens often soften the blow of a criticism or rejection by
accompanying the text with a contradictory emoticon. While any faceto-face conversation with the same emotion would be perceived as
insincere, teens often accept the texted message with less of a hit to
their sense of self than receiving it in person.
CELL PHONES and ADDICTION
Not only has the social skills of adolescents been affected by
mobile use, but the frequency of use has created new disciplines and
power geometries (Ito, 2005, p. 144) that have changed social
expectations. The need to always be accessible to friends has lead to
negative consequences of staying in touch all the time. The social
expectations surrounding mobile phone use dictates that a voice/text
message must not be ignored. A diary conversation with teens
exemplifies this expectation:
They acknowledge that there was a social expectation that a
message should be responded to within about 30 minutes unless
one had a legitimate reason, such as being asleep. (Ito, 2005, p.
145)
This traps the sender and the receiver in a situation of mutualism,
whereby if you wait too long to reply, if you send a short unimaginative
response, or if you send a response not written especially for that
occasionthen you are on thin ice in the reciprocity department (Ling,
2004, p. 153). In the event of an unavoidably missed message, many
adolescents formulate an apology before hastily sending a return

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 11

message.
Consequently, this increased use of mobile phones has resulted in
an attachment that can be described as being symbiotic; one cannot
exist without the other. The mobile phone demands so much time from
adolescents that its use is essentially a separate profession.
Adolescents remain in perpetual contact with those in their social circle
and they become preoccupied with their phone even when it is not in
use. A study conducted by Peters and Allouch (2005) looked at
subjects reaction to a mobile phone when not previously owning one.
They reported that after four to six weeks of daily use people were no
longer aware of the fact that they were always connected (p. 252).
This illustrates that phone use becomes so ingrained in adolescents
daily life that it becomes an extension of self and the activity becomes
almost involuntary.
Mobile phone use has become a primary source of pleasure and
a major focus in the individuals life (Walsh et al., 2010, p. 195). Their
absorption with the device is guided by anticipation, constantly drawing
them from reality:
young people report thinking about their mobile phone when
not using it, being distracted from other tasks when they have
their phone with them, and prominently displaying the phone
keeping it constantly in their awareness. (Walsh et al., 2011, p.
333)
Each time a message is received the adolescent is pleased, thus further
reinforcing the anticipatory behavior. Excessive phone use is described

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 12

as the need to call or send messages when time has elapsed without
using the mobile phone, including emotional alterations when the use
of the phone is impeded (Choliz, 2012, p. 34). Walsh, et al. (2010)
finds this excessive attachment analogous to the definition of
behavioral addictions (p. 200), which are behaviors that are impulsive,
repeated, habitual, and guided by automated processes, rather than
being preceded by elaborate decision processes (Peters and Allouch,
2005, p. 252). Griffiths (2000) furthers this definition to include an
operational definition of technical addiction that involves a humanmachine interaction (p. 211). Behavioral addictions develop when a
device is contingent on producing a favorable outcome, such as being
rewarded with a waiting message from a friend. The problem that is
beginning to surface is that adolescents are struggling to develop
interpersonal proficiencies in social relationships that will begin to
influence their school and personal lives. Adolescents are so focused on
maintaining their digital connections that the anticipation of an
incoming message can distract from what is happening live. Those
around them can mistake the distraction for being ignored, which can
impact friendships and their ability to connect on a human level.
Furthermore, adolescents have been noted to claim that they
have feelings of withdrawal or psychological distress when not near
their phone (Walsh, et al., 2010, p. 196). Withdrawal symptoms
typically accompany addiction, and are described as an unpleasant

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 13

feeling, state and/or physical effect that occur[s] when the particular
activity is discontinued or suddenly reduced (Griffiths, 2000, p. 212). If
their phone was accidentally left at home, for example, adolescents
often compulsively reach for their phone only to remember that it was
left elsewhere, and yet repeat the behavior the next minute. I have
overheard comments from adolescents in this situation expressing their
concern about how many messages they are missing and how their
correspondents probably think they are ignoring them. The thought of
being away from their phone for any period of time can elicit feelings of
anxiety.

By the end of 2013, it is reported that there will be more

mobile devices on Earth than people (Digital Buzz Blog). It is obvious
that the benefits of owning a mobile device has been realized, but
the benefits far exceed the harm that being done to the crucial
development of interpersonal social skills in adolescents. Instead of
nurturing their sense of independence when faced with time alone,
adolescents have instead replaced this time with menial text
conversations and games, afraid of being perceived by others as
being lonely. Instead of developing their real-time interpersonal
skills, adolescents prefer to use their phones where they can be
anonymous and take their time formulating responses, diminishing
their exposure to visual cues, one of the essential elements of

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 14

human interaction. As a result, adolescents have formed an

excessive attachment to their phone that can be described as a
behavioral addiction, complete with withdrawal symptoms when they
become disconnected for any reason. With the tremendously rapid
impact of phones throughout the world, it can boggle the mind to
think of what the next technology craze will be. Will it spread
through society just as fast as the cell phone? Will it thread itself so
deeply in a teens life that it becomes part of their identity? Or will
we finally recognize the catastrophic damage that cell phones are
doing to the social development of adolescents and try to repair the
harm before it becomes irreversible.

Cell Phones and Social Behavior 15

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