IMPACT OF CELL PHONES ON

IM
PROFE
FESSIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS
TS

By
Sujana Pasupulety

Under the guidance of

Prof. K. Madhu
Department of Psychology
Andhra University

THESIS SUBMIT
ITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE
DE OF
DOCTOR
R OF PHILOSOPHY IN PSYCHOLO
LOGY

ANDHRA U
UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPATNAM,, INDIA
I

2016
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Cell phones have provided avenues for individuals to stay

connected on a new level that does not depend on space or time, but is

readily accessible at anytime, anywhere. Never being disconnected has

allowed social networks and relationships to be strengthened as well as

new relationships formed. Cell phones have also allowed individuals all

over the world whom, without the cell phone would never have access to

all of the networks, assets and information that they do via the mobile

phone.

While it has provided a new avenue to social networking and

interactions, the change in the space and time concept has also had a

negative effect as well. Many of us have likely experienced a situation

where we have been in the presence of a cell phone user who is engaging

in some form of rude behavior that lacks respect for the individuals

around them. Cell phones have changed the way that individuals socially

interact. Individuals are communicating more via text messages and cell

phones than they are face-to-face, changing our social environment.

Individuals have become enveloped in their cell phones and less

aware of their social surroundings, missing out on possible new social

interactions. The danger is that many people do not know when to turn

off their cell phone. Personal contact and good listening skills have

become less of a commodity than availability. Cell phones have

influenced every aspect of our lives.

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The present study was conducted on a sample of 613 students

belonging to Medical and Engineering Colleges. In Medical, there were

436 students and in Engineering there were 177 students. There were

347 students below 20 years of age and 266 students above 20 years of

age. And, the sample included 251 males and 362 females.

Based on the objectives of the thesis, a schedule was designed,

carefully. Four dimensions of the schedule were identified – namely, cell

phone as a communication tool, multimedia applications, status,

security and freedom, cell phone addiction and family and interpersonal

relationships. The items n the schedule were prepared in such a way

that a high score indicated less usage or less impact.

The findings of the present study show that a substantial

percentage of students uses the cell phone for more than 4 hours per

day; receive on an average 18 calls per day and make about 8 calls daily.

The most popular applications are music and games. They fell that cell

phones are status symbols and that most of the world is addicted to cell

phones.

They admit that cell phones provide security when they are lost or

in new places but state that late night conversations do not disturb

concentration n the class. About 40 percent of students admit that they

would prefer talking to friends on their cell phones rather than parents

when they are at home. However, they do not prefer to engage in cell

phone conversations when they are in a low mood.

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The study also highlighted significant gender differences in cell

phone usage and effects. Male students use the phone more than the

female students. They are more unlikely to switch off their phones and

are prone to disturbance in concentration. Male students have also been

found to yield to peer pressure to buy new models of the cell phones and

rely on cell phones when they have to tell a lie. The influence of place of

stay on cell phone usage and effects shows that the effect is more for

students staying at home. This group of students uses the cell phone

more and show more addiction. The students residing at home prefer to

talk to their friends more than their parents.

Conclusions

The following conclusions can be drawn from the findings of the

present study:

1. Professional college students tend to use mobile phones for nearly 4

hours per day, which would amount to nearly one quarter of their waking

life. Cell phones have become an integral part of the communication

process among students. New technologies enable people to alter existing

patterns of communication. In earlier times, the telegraph and the

(landline) telephone redefined assumptions about how social

relationships should be conducted (Baron, 2000). More recently, it was

initially assumed that the internet would equalize power relationships

between genders (Herring, 2003). Yet technologies don’t automatically

undo long-standing patterns of socialization. Like in other Western

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countries where research studies have been conducted, mobile

communication technology has penetrated the daily life of almost all

young Indians – males and females alike. Cell phones are being used as

personal entertainment systems and provide the students the joy of

listening to songs of their choice or play games on their phones.

2. Profession college students take pride in owning a cell phone as it has

become a status symbol. They also feel that the cell phone has some

advantages and disadvantages. There is a need to understand and

evaluate better the usage of mobile devices used by the student

population. Students make their own choices and have their preferences

regarding the services and characteristics of mobile devices. It appears

that there could be a tension between what designers of devices and

instructors believe that is essential and what users consider being

important for them. As pointed out earlier, colleges and universities need

to become leaders in applying technology to daily life and education.

Moreover, there are many issues that have not been fully addressed.

Students have to learn how to use all the device’s features and they need

support and help so as to be successful in this.

It is also reported (Comscore, 2007) that although 63% of U.S.

mobile users own phones with Internet connectivity capability, only 17%

of them subscribe to their carriers’ Internet services. Similarly,

Telecommunications Management Group, Inc. (TMG, 2004) reported the

top ten nations by percentage of population using mobile phones to

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access the Internet: Japan (29.5%), Korea (24.8%), France (10.5%),

Singapore (7.1%), Sweden (7.1%), Germany (6.1%), U.K. (5%), Finland

(4.1%), Norway (3.9%) and Spain (3.4%).

In just a few years, mobile phones have emerged as the ultimate

multimedia device. It has become inseparable part of our life style. India

has more than 64 crore cellular connections for a population of nearly

120 crores. Phones make people individualistic –being unique from

others, Instanity–sense of instant gratification, Virtunity-being close to

others and overcome landlines, Techpowered-they empower us to take

control of other lines of communication face to face and one to one being

the most affected. Technology has both wide spread advantages and

disadvantages. It rules over the X gen era undoubtedly and made our

life digitalized.

Implications and recommendations

The findings of the present study allows the researcher to derive the

following implications of cell phone usage by professional college

students.

Self-reliance

On a broader perspective cell phones have remarkably intruded in

social space and in totality effect our social interactions. Cellular

technology has reduced over all focuses on life on the move. Generally

speaking it has diluted our ability to do for ourselves and has replaced

effective time management with constant, chaotic commentary and

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dependency and cell phones have thus diminished our ability to self-

reliance. But they provide excellent help at the time of emergency, stand

handy for safety and multi tasking.

Friends and friendships

The study revealed that the adolescents felt helpless and unable to

resist the urge to share their secrets to their friends, because of the use

of cell phones. They communicate to friends immediately and easily, as it

is easy, simple and economical to operate. They regret after having

blurted out their secrets. They land up in vulnerable situations. They

become the cynosure of ridicule, mockery or sarcasm. Few of them

expressed to be gullible. The impact of technology is pervading the daily

routine including the intimate and personal aspects of their relationships

and consuming the bright future, of teens on a negative note.

When viewed from a positive angle some students vent out their

feelings through conversation bringing positive healthy relations. This

enhances their mood and alleviates tensions within them and ultimately

leads to peace of mind. Secrets are exposed to others through the

information and photos in the cell phone instrument. All these may

reveal and yield unnecessary controversies. Long conversations may

breed mass of views and attitudes, which in turn fire new controversies.

Many students felt that overuse of cell phones lead to exchange of

information which triggered dangerous revelations of sensitive nature.

The boundary between secrecy and privacy has been rubbed away, due
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to cell phones. Misuse of cell phone is another hazard. The application is

exploited and operated in many ways like editing photos, pornography,

harmful SMS, MMS, etc which besides being undesirable destroy the

self-esteem and ego of the teenagers.

Any number of advancements in technology can be constructively

channelized and put for the enhancement of mankind and enrichment of

lifestyle but should not be employed for the detrimental consequences.

The essence of living should be primarily having a humane approach in a

societal framework. We must not pamper those inclinations which make

us callous and insensitive in our relationships to other human-beings.

Man strived all through the civilization to mark his presence over

nature. He is efficient and can function on par with a computer. But, he

is in a hopeless stage if asked to live without Cell phone. Today, Cell

phone has emerged as a uniform massive social aura of almighty.

Humans are strongly capsized and addicted to it. It has mitigated our

self-reliance and Time-sense.

FACEBOOK is a social network which connects people all over the

world. It is a new mania of adolescents. The study revealed that both

Medical and Engineering students were thrilled and euphoric to use

facebook. It is natural human urge to share everything with friends .The

sharing doubles joy and halves sorrow. This brings energy and instills

excitement to them
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They eagerly watch for friends’ comments and replies. This new

habit has snowballed and soared to addiction. It gradually nurtured their

mindset in such a way, so as to take pictures everywhere they go and

upload photos. It demands for compliments. Youth are pinned to discuss

over the picture shown. They are mercilessly demanding a comment

which needs to be specified like or dislike. This compellation is annoying

and creating cracks in Interpersonal relations.

Facebook is emerging as a singularly strong influential social

network replacing a coffee shop, a library or a friends club. It creates

warmth, social conformity, self-esteem, thrill giving umpteen choices

.But, it does not fill inner vacuum inside an individual. It only is a show

of quantity of peers but, not quality of relationships. The students exhibit

an innate urge to share everything but, felt insecure and are driven by

confusion and fear.

It creates disturbances among true friends. We are just exploring

the new path of danger and the end result of guilt sweeps over. Facebook

redefines the new relationships and direct new systems and builds new

culture which causes confusion rather than secure and confident feeling.

The number of favorable comments given also breeds jealousy among

other friends. Even, triggers guilt that we do not have so many friends.

Cell phones have shaped the behavior of adolescents and

determined new modes of courtesy and communication patterns. It

created a new era of callous culture that, hampered social and emotional
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closeness. The crux of Indian culture stands on family. Cell phone

rubbed all inhibitions and courtesies. It camouflaged true, strong and

false, fake relations. The essence of human existence is diluted by being

very mechanical, exchanging all condolences through cell phone.

Humans are slave to this technology and are ready to lose their privacy,

time, efficiency and well-being.

A Chat room is not a bedroom to share intimate, personal issues.

The role of privacy is deemed to be undefined and crude. A personal

relation is intimate and not for public consumption. A pen friend shares

his attitudes, opinions and views. It is quite healthy relation. But, one’s

personal shall not be accessible to strangers. We are not sure of the

authenticity of the others identity.

We are just exploring the new path of danger and the end result of

guilt or aftermath consequences. Facebook redefines the new

relationships and directs new systems and builds new culture which

cause confusion rather than secure feeling.

Facebook creates problems among intimate true friendships. The

true friend may not like a silly flatter by a stranger. It disturbs

relationships and friendships. By insisting a comment of LIKE OR

DISLIKE? An emotional stress and annoyance is created for silly and

unnecessary, trivial issues. It compels a comment that should be either

flattery or silly. But, the honest friend views it as an intrusion into

relationship. Also, an individual can be a victim of false conformity.

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While this is not the end of the road the lessons learnt are far too

many but being practiced in a lesser degree owing to the change in

socio economic and cultural human space, splitting of joint family

system, high prevalence of nuclear families, lesser parental control on

the adolescents, fast paced lifestyle even in rural areas, negative impacts

of globalization in the sectors of education, entertainment and

livelihoods coupled with a weak education system failing to deal with the

deviant behavioural aspects of adolescent youth easily influenced by

peer pressure.

While there is an urgent need for counseling services and

parental guidance, some regulatory mechanism through the TRAI on

mobile phone companies Including network operators should be

exercised to disseminate IEC material and statutory warnings on the ill

and negative impacts of cell phones on public in general and adolescents

/youth in particular. This should also be made part of their corporate

social responsibility towards the society.

Despite the availability of some clinical data which is in still in a

nascent stage, owing to the need to obtain authentic data and analysis

on the long term impacts of the cell phone socio cultural and

behavioural/neurological deviancies there is an urgent need to allocate

/earmark enough budget for R&D not limited to clinical research but

also sociological and psychological, as the severe consequences that may

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flow in times to come are frightening when visualized in terms of crime,

neurological disorders, breakdown of human relationships and so on.

It is easy to visualize that cell phone is not just another gadget or

instrument which can be included in the general list of our daily routine

but needs a critical look which may destroy the very fabric of our well

designed society.

Though the networks are ‘connecting people ‘with one another they

have become successful in disconnecting us with our own self. In the

name of consumerism while the multibillion crore business is

aggressively making giant leaps Into our life threatening to erode the

sensitivities of everyday life of an average Indian It is time when not only

the government but people and voluntary activists should come

together To take resolute decisions to get back to the basics by suitable

legislations in order to develop suitable Work culture, to tighten our

education system making it more meaningful to cater to the aspirations

of the individuals and the needs of the industry.

May be a time may come in the future with slogans like “say no to

cell phone (like plastics which has become an almost indispensable evil)”

and “only one call and one SMS a day keeps the doctor away”.

The famous Hutch puppy advertisement sums it up though

hilariously ‘our network follows wherever you go’.