Think Before You Speak: Why Texting is So Popular

Tags

generation y, relationships, sex, sexuality, survey, texting

One of the most interesting questions I asked was one which would force the hands of communicating with Generation Y. When I asked the question, I assumed the answer would be obvious–meeting in person clearly seemed like the best way to communicate with someone you just met. What I underestimated though, was the power of texting. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, young adults between 18 – 24 send approximately 109.5 text messages PER DAY.

Generation Y likes the opportunity to think about their answers. “When emerging adults were asked why they prefer mobile phone conversations and texting over other forms of communication, they explained non-face-to-face communication gave them the option to talk to multiple people at once, to leave large gaps in the conversation, to conceal the truth, and the ability to immediately clarify understandings (Madell & Muncer, 2007)….they felt it gave the more time to ponder and articulate what they were trying to express.”

While the previous study may have concluded deception, it isn’t that easy. In another study, there is a sect of people who use texting to express positive emotions and people who use texting to discuss serious issues. ”The most common reason was to express affection (75%) followed by discussing serious issues (25%) and apologizing (12%),” (Coyne, et al 2011). Essentially, in the beginning phases of a relationship texting is positive. Texting is a way of foreplay, a way to flirt with others while still going about daily activities. The final conclusion revealed text messaging had the strongest influence on communication and relationship satisfaction (Coyne, et all 2011).

In a world that moves faster than ever, technology is a part of it. It’s difficult to think of relationships the way we thought of them even 10 years ago. Mobile communication has been revolutionized by smart phones and because of that, relationships have changed. While communicating in the beginning of relationships may be more text based, it is that way because of the plethora of knowledge we have to find out about others. It is also that way because of the busy lives Generation Y leads, constantly doing everything at once–volunteering, starting a company, and maybe bartending on the weekends (Heller).

Works Cited

Coyne, Sarah M., Laura Stockdale, Dean Busby, Bethany Iverson, and David M. Grant. ““I Luv U !”: A Descriptive Study of the Media Use of Individuals in Romantic Relationships.” Family Relations 60.2 (2011): 150-62. Print.

Heller, Karen. “Generation Y Takes Creativity by the Horns.” Philly.com. 04 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://articles.philly.com/2012-04-04/news/31288036_1_job-market-generation-truck&gt;.

Madell, D.E., & Muncer, J.J. (2007). CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10, 137 – 140.

Van Den Broek, Matthijs. “How Cool Brands Stay Hot.” GenY in US Is Texting like Crazy. How Cool Brands Stay Hot, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://www.howcoolbrandsstayhot.com/2011/09/21/geny-in-us-is-texting-like-crazy/&gt;.

Surveying Gen Y

Tags

communications, generation y, millenials, relationships, research, sex, sexuality, social media, survey

Because there is not any widely known research for the topic I am studying, I decided to go to the source: my generation. I created the survey and spread the word on group emails from previous classes, Twitter, and Facebook. My intent was to get a range of young adults and hear about their experiences in relationships.

One caveat: My research is primarily on young adults who meet in person and use social media to develop a relationship. It is not inclusive of meeting people online, a criticism I received in my survey. I did this because millenials are classically seen as social creatures (Martin, Monaco), and I do not find my assumption to be a fault of the survey. To broaden my horizon to those who have met on social media websites, and even dating websites would have made the survey too broad. I’m trying to answer this question: how has social media helped how you learn about someone you are interested in? How has it hindered?

With that, here is the reasoning behind each question of the survey. Over 100 people responded to the survey, however I took the responses of the first 100 to make the number-crunching a bit easier. The first few questions were done in order to get demographic information about those taking the survey. Participants between 20 – 29 were the most popular, with 75 percent and they were also had a female skew–with 68 percent female and 31 percent male, respectively.

The next question was, “When you meet someone you are romantically interested in, how long does it take before you have an online interaction (follow them on Twitter, friend them on Facebook)?”

1 – 5 days

1 week

2 weeks

3 weeks or more

I let them find my profile

This question was asked for two reasons; one was to gauge how comfortable/social other people feel connecting with someone they’re interested in online. The other reason was because of a common theme I hear from women, “I don’t friend someone I like, they friend me.” This adds a layer of social media etiquette that is reminiscent of the old wait-three-days-to-call or only-pick-up-the-phone-after-three-rings rule. This is fascinating because it uses traditional gendered games for relationships in an online setting. In fact, one person said:

“If you had asked me 5 years ago, I would’ve said 1 week. Now, I’d say I wait for THEM to find my profile (this is also b/c I’m a woman and I strive for the return to gender roles of men making the first move.”

My next question was about using Google or other search engines to find out about someone. It’s a common theme of future job prospects that you should Google the person interviewing you, and you will probably be Googled. Because generation y has hit an era of a necessary online presence, I was curious to see if they searched for those they were interested in.

The next question asked the best way to interact with someone; meeting in person, talking on the phone, texting, utilizing social media, or other.

This was done for a few reasons–first off I wanted to compare previous methods of getting to know someone with new methods. For instance, texting isn’t traditionally seen as social media. However, texting involves crafting a response in the same way Facebook chatting does. From my limited experience of hearing stories of my family spending hours on the phone, and even remembering doing the same with my first boyfriends, talking on the phone used to be a popular method.** I guessed it would not be as popular. Meeting in person was added in order to see how that compared to newer methods; I hypothesized meeting in person would never go out of style.

The next question asked: “Do you question whether you act desperate or too eager when you interact with someone you are romantically interested in via social media websites?”

This was also done in order to get a response to anecdotal evidence that heterosexual young women are afraid to appear too eager in social networking. At this point, I wish I had asked what the gender the person was as they answered this question, because it would have made another fascinating connection between female social etiquette online.

My last question asked how social media has changed how relationships are formed. This was my favorite question, because answers ranged from thoughtful and characterized to many who felt their lives were not changed at all by social media.

Results of this survey will be implemented in the rest of the blog posts, as I find further evidence to refute or back up the more complex questions.

** I do not have any substantial evidence to back this up, but can point to many instances in my life, my parents lives, and pretty much anyone who dated before 2005.

Monaco, Michele, and Malissa Martin. “The Millenial Student: A New Generation of Learners.” Athletic Training Education Journal (2007): 42-46.http://www.nataej.org. National Athletic Trainers Association. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nataej.org/2.2/EJMonaco.pdf&gt;.

Relating to Social Media

Tags

generation y, relationships, sex, sexuality, social media

In Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, Putnam explores a world where adults share less interactions than ever–they belong to less social organizations and barely know their neighbors. His book was published in 2000, after an initial essay from 1995. Putnam couldn’t have imagined the way social media would redefine what he has called “social capital,” the fabric of relationships which holds our society together.

It is true that Americans are more likely to be tied to a television or computer than they are at a weekly bowling club. However, when beginning a relationship, of any sexual nature–my generation is just as dumbfounded. As a Millenial, one of the 80 million who was born between the late 70s and the mid 90s, I have grown up in a world where social media is rampant and ever-changing. Before Facebook was Myspace, and before Myspace was AOL Instant Messenger. The rules our parents adhered to for dating do not apply to us–we’ve never used them. We don’t wait three days to call someone, and we often do not spend hours talking on the phone getting to know each other.

We have always relied on being able to calculate a conversation or find more about someone before we have to have face to face interactions. I’m exploring the changes this brings to the dating world and to sexual relationships. In a survey I conducted, one person was incredibly insightful with this thought: “It is more liberating, because you have time to think before speaking, so you have this sort of power.” With that begs the question, what are millenials losing by being able to calculate a response?

Works Cited:

Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Print.

Third Generation Birth Controls

Tags

birth control, sex, sexuality

Note: This is unrelated to my research proposal, but still highly relevant to any woman who is on birth control.

When I began my internship at the Durango Herald, they handed me an obituary. It was of a woman who passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 24 due to a third generation birth control. These days, most birth controls that you see on TV are third or fourth generation. The popular Yaz and Yasmin are seen as fourth generation, while NuvaRing and the patch (or Ortho Evra) are third. All four have had serious issues with blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. Please stay informed about the kinds of birth control you are using and ask, “What are the risks?” Per my article, a Johnson & Johnson study concluded 20 – 50 percent of all spontaneous blood clotting happens with no identifiable risk factors.

My article was published today–and you can read it here:

When Being Safe is Unsafe