Cell Phone Decision Making

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to examine how and why adolescents make decisions regarding whether to conduct their communication via texting versus calling features of cellular telephones. Individual semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 41 adolescents aged 14 to 18 focusing on their use of calling and texting when communicating with friends, parents, and romantic partners. Through grounded theory analysis, a conceptual decision-tree emerged depicting a process of decision making based on communication content, communication partner, and situational limitations. Further analysis indicated that the adolescents consistently perceived texting as easier than calling in ways that were meaningful to their everyday lives. Findings reflect the complex interweaving of logic, personal preference, and concession to social constraints that goes into adolescents' choices to call versus text.

A Six‐Year Longitudinal Study of Texting Trajectories During Adolescence

“…In terms of intervention, this group should likely be targeted early in adolescence, both in terms of their media use and their relationships with others. There was one positive outcome for this group: Specifically, this group showed the strongest relationships with their best friends, suggesting that they may primarily be using texting as a way to strengthen this particular relationship (Blair et al, 2015). There were two other groups.…”

“…Both texting and social media have the potential to enhance a number of social transitions that are important during this age, including having more friends of the opposite sex and entering into romantic and sexual relationships. Additionally, social status is very important, and adolescents may use both texting and social media as ways to participate in and monitor their social world (Blair et al, 2015). Both these uses of media seem to taper off during the transition to emerging adulthood, where individuals may feel less of a need to constantly monitor their social environment (Coyne et al, 2013).…”

“…"Perpetuals" also appeared to have the most negative outcomes, showing higher levels of depression, anxiety, and physical and relational aggression at the final wave. Although texting can be beneficial for many adolescents (e.g., Blair et al, 2015;Padilla-Walker et al, 2012), high levels of texting during early adolescence do not seem beneficial, at least in terms of long-term outcomes. At this level, texting may interfere with the formation of face-toface relationships as much conversation is done in a virtual fashion.…”

“…Adolescents may use media for a host of different reasons, including entertainment, coping with difficult situations, homework, autonomy, intimacy, and identity development (Coyne, Padilla-Walker, & Howard, 2013). Cell phone use, and in particular, texting, has become an important and popular way of communicating and connecting with others during adolescence for reasons of convenience and privacy (Lenhart, Ling, Campbell, & Purcell, 2010), and to accommodate the schedules of peers (Blair, Fletcher, & Gaskin, 2015).…”

“…Additionally, a growing number of studies suggest that cell phone use can become problematic and may show similarities with other substance and technological addictions (e.g., Roberts, Petnji Yaya, & Manolis, 2014). However, other studies have found that cell phone use is associated with higher levels of connection to family (Padilla-Walker et al, 2012) and friends (Blair et al, 2015), and can decrease externalizing behaviors and substance use by increasing social support (Burraston, Bahr, & Cherrington, 2014).…”