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 Talking
on cell phones, text messaging and participating in social networking
sites such as MySpace.com can be addictive for teens and college
students, according a study recently completed by California State
University, Fresno faculty member Dr. Tamyra Pierce.
Pierce’s research found the majority of local high school and college
students surveyed spent multiple hours each day using the three
technology tools. At the extreme, 10 percent of college students and 6
percent of high schoolers responding said they spend seven or more hours
a day text messaging.
The students surveyed were in Fresno, but Pierce said that given the
large sample size “we would expect these results to be similar in other
parts of the country.”
Pierce is a mass communication and journalism associate professor known
for her research into the use by teens’ of MySpace and other social
networking sites (SNS). Her studies have documented the risks of using
such sites, including lower grades in school and possible exposure to
pornography, profane language and other materials of which unwary
parents might disapprove.
She turned her attention to technology addiction in college and high
school students, with 250 college students and 237 high school students
responding to her survey.
Half of the college respondents reported spending one to four hours a
day text messaging or talking on a cell phone, and 39 percent spent that
much time on social networking sites
Among high school students, 47 percent spent one to four hours daily
text messaging; 46 percent spent that much time talking on a cell phone,
and 53 percent were on social networking sites one to four hours.
Pierce said the research indicates that females use these technology
tools more than males.
In considering whether some one was “addicted,” Pierce examined several
issues in college students’ usage. (High schoolers were not surveyed in
this area.) Among the results, college students answered “sometimes” or
“always” in the following:
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71 percent spent more
time sending text messages than they had intended.
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52 percent were
preoccupied with thinking about the next time they could text
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50 percent had spent
increased time with technology since they first got it
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48 percent experienced
euphoria after extended technology use
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46 percent reported
irritability when not being able to use cell phone technology
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23 percent reported
conflicts with relationships, jobs, etc. as a result of technology
use.
“The word addiction – though
usually associated with dependence on drugs or alcohol – certainly isn’t
too strong a word to use in the face of these findings,” said Pierce.
Read more about Dr. Pierce and her previous studies at
www.fresnostatenews.com/2007/02/myspaceQA.htm
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