The Role of Social Media on the Development of Interpersonal Communication

The Role of Social Media on the Development of Interpersonal Communication

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, are popular among young adults (defined as 18-29 year-olds), with 72% of individuals in this age group maintaining at least one profile (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, and Zickuhr 2010). While a great deal of research has been conducted on the psychological effects of Internet interaction, little previous quantitative research has been conducted to determine how online socialization affects normative face-to-face interactions. This study aims to discover if social media influences the way college students interact and communicate interpersonally. The project will also investigate how this growing method of communication plays a role in students' daily lives, relating to distribution of time and use of language. In addition, gender will be examined to see if any significant differences arise from the data.