New research from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland@@http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/@@ found that cell phone use may be linked to people being less likely to interact with others.
In a working paper called “The Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Pro-social Behavior,”@@http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/univ-study-examines-phone-use-1.2783084#.T0L_ysppfys@@ two marketing professors and a graduate student conducted three experiments using college students in their early 20s. They found that students who used a cell phone were less likely to engage in “pro-social behavior,” which the study defined as actions intended to benefit an individual or society. The researchers think this is because cell phone use satisfies people’s need for connecting with others, which reduces their motivation to help others or volunteer.@@hmm@@
“We had always been interested in the idea that a technology that should increase social interaction may have the opposite effect,” Rosellina Ferraro,@@https://directory.umd.edu/search@@ co-author of the study, said. “We had seen some anecdotal evidence suggesting that people were using their cell phones as a way to avoid social contact.”
According to numbers from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 95 percent of American adults ages 18 to 24 own a cell phone.@@pewinternet.org/~/…/Americans%20and%20Text%20Messaging.pdf@@ The researchers worry that the desire to help others may become a problem as the number of Americans who own a cell phone increases.
In one experiment, 197 undergraduate students were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to use Facebook for three minutes and the other group was instructed to use a cell phone for three minutes. After the time was up, both groups were shown an advertisement for a charity called, “Help the Homeless” and were asked how likely they were to volunteer at the charity. Group members who used a cell phone were less likely to volunteer than those who used Facebook.
“While social connection may be a benefit of using Facebook, many people may utilize it more for stating their status rather than connecting,” Ferraro said. “Contacts on Facebook are more diverse and diffused compared to mobile phone contacts.”
Ferraro said they plan to conduct subsequent studies on the topic and will also research whether using other social media, such as Skype and Facebook, show similar effects.