Constantly Connected: What are the Biggest Challenges to Communication?

Abstract

Social media (SM) are websites and applications which allow individuals to engage in social networking (Stevenson, 2010). This allows for friends and family to stay connected (Gemmill & Peterson, 2006), thus changing the dynamics of communication between people. However, little has been documented on the effect SM use has had on face-to-face communication. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students to explore how the use of SM has changed face-to-face communication. Additionally, whether the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) impacted on social interaction, and how university students’ understanding of this phenomenon was also explored. Findings from this study show that SM use has varying effects on face-to-face communication ranging from an effect on the relationship between individuals in the conversation, to an effect in the context of a social situation. This led to identification of a social etiquette for using SM in face-to-face communication. Links to social constructionist theory, as well as FoMO, were also identified in this research. Further research into the effect of FoMO on face-to-face communication and how SM use influences face-to-face communication skills would be beneficial.