Analysis of College Students' Dependence on Cell Phones

Introduction

For many college students today, living without a cell phone is inconceivable. Not being instantly connected at all times, whether on campus, in a bus, at home, at the movies or in a restaurant, is a major source of anxiety. One of the most striking aspects of cell phones is the rate at which they are becoming more complex with the evolving technology. Not only are their features increasing, but so are the different varieties in the marketplace. When analyzing how much college students value their phones, it is important to note the difference in usage between standard cell phone owners and smart phone owners. The main distinction between the two is that while the standard cell phone is used primarily for talking and texting, the smart phone is essentially a phone that also serves as a mini-computer and can be used to install and run several advanced applications. Since college students compose a considerable part of the market for cell phones, the newer designs come with characteristics that are most desired by them and that fit their needs.  Some of these include larger screens, easy portability, abundant memory, Wi-Fi network, built-in GPS and a high-quality camera.

Objective
           The focus of this study is on college students’ dependence on cell phones and how that varies amongst owners of standard cell phones and smart phones. In addition, this study deals with the advantages and disadvantages of the use of cell phones in college classrooms. While cell phones can be used for classroom learning and research or for communicating with professors and peers on an academic level, they can certainly be used to distract the user and other students, or even worse, to cheat. The purpose of this study is to show that while cell phones offer a great means of social connectivity, college students should be aware when and where to best use them and should understand that these devices can foster or hamper their relationships with others.

The Survey

We surveyed 14 people whose ages ranged from 17-24, the general ages for college students. The average age those who were surveyed first got a cell phone was at 14. 43% of the groups surveyed own a smart phone and 57% own a standard cell phone. 36% said they used their cell phones primarily for talking, 50% for texting, and 14% for social networking. This was particularly interesting because this shows that almost half the time students are on their cell phone they are actually texting, a third of the time they are talking, and for the rest of the time students are using their phones for social networking.

Having a cell phone that allows for social networking changes the purpose of having a phone at all. It is no longer used for just talking (what the phone was invented for) but for texting and social networking. 87.5% of standard cell phone owners said they wished they owned a smart phone. It seems that in the next ten or so year, people will most likely gravitate towards smart phones, leaving standard phones in the dust.

When asked about how much students spend a month on their phone bill, 15% said they spend less than $10 monthly on their phone bill, 50% said they spend between $11 and $50 monthly, 29% said they spend between $51 and $100 monthly, and 7% said they spend over $100 monthly. It is obvious that smart phones owners spend more. Assuming that parents are NOT paying for the phone bill, this means that college students are willing to drop $600 to $1200 a year on their phone bill alone. One would think that $1200 a year is a lot of money to spend on a phone, but 86% of those surveyed stated they think the money they spend on their cell phone is worth it. The average amount of times they use their phone for an actual phone call is six times daily. The average amount of times they use their phone for texting, instant messaging, or social networking is 28 times daily, about five times as much as making a phone call. Also, 79% of the participants have unlimited time and texts on their phones.

There have been different applications created that allow for easy access to educational websites and virtual classroom-type sites. However, the number of people who utilize these applications is far below the number of people who can. 66% of smart phone owners reported not having downloaded any homework app. When the same group was asked, “How much do you use your phone for classroom learning and for research purposes?” 83% answered “Not at all.” So it is safe to assume that when a student is using his or her cell phone during class, it is not classroom related. But when asked about rules to ban cell phones from the classroom, 79% of cell phone users do not agree with these policies. In regards to being disrespectful while using a cell phone in class and whether it is distracting or not, 79% answered, “I don’t get distracted but I do think it is disrespectful.” 83% said that based on their personal experiences, it is not common for students to use their cell phones to cheat on a test. 83% also reported finding their laptop to be more convenient than their smart phone. This implies laptops are clearly far more used for studies. In terms of group projects, most people said they use their phones to communicate with group members and instructors through phone calls, emails, and Blackboard. Smart phones are not utilized in the classroom as much as they could be. For the amount of time spent on a cell phone, and for the amount of money being spent on it, one would think that you would want to get as much use out of it as possible.

Other Related Professional Studies

While the topic of our study is more wide-ranging, it is useful to acknowledge the findings of a previous study in the same area. Entitled “Perceptions of Mobile Phones in College Classrooms: Ringing, Cheating, and Classroom Policies,” this study was conducted in 2006 by Routledge, a global publisher of academic books, and edited by Scoot W. Campbell, Assistant Professor and Pohs Fellow of Telecommunications in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. One hundred and seventy-six individuals participated in this study (59% female, 41% male). Ninety-six participants were students, while 80 were faculty members of different disciplines. Eighty-four percent owned a mobile phone (92% of students and 75% of faculty). Surveys were held to assess the attitudes of the participants with regard to mobile phones in college classrooms. It was found that faculty/student status, mobile phone ownership, amount of monthly use, experience with the technology, age and gender, influenced perceptions towards it. In general, the majority of the participants felt ringing did obstruct the learning process and there was strong support for policies restricting mobile phone use in classrooms. However, the younger demographic was consistently more tolerant. Furthermore, while young adults have been found use the technology for demonstrating and reinforcing network membership, older adults use it more for security and logistical coordination.

According to a June 2010 article by Marc Ransford, Media Relations Manager, on Ball State University’s Newscenter, Michael Hanley, a journalism professor and director of the university's Institute for Mobile Media Research, smart phones are soon going to replace computers as the primary communication and entertainment device for college students. He has conducted 11 surveys on mobile device usage since 2005 with the survey group consisting of 5,500 college students. The results of his comprehensive research are as follows:

(1) Smart phones now account for 49% of mobile communication devices on college campuses, up from 38% in October 2009 and 27% in February 2009,
(2) The use of cell phones is widespread on campus, with 99.8% of students having a cell phone,
(3) Nearly nine in 10 students with smart phones access the Internet from the device, versus less than half with a feature phone (standard cell phones),
(4) Text messaging has overtaken e-mail and instant messaging (IM) as the main form of communication, with 97% of students sending/receiving text messages as compared to 30% for e-mail and 25% with IM. Cell phone camera usage has soared, with 97% of smart phone owners taking and sending photographs while 87% take and send video (Ransford).
Hanley believes the desire to engage in mobile commerce (coupons, incentives) has also risen amongst college students. He makes an interesting correlation that while smart phone ownership has gone up, so has owners’ overall consumption. This is also why marketers are finding it easier to target and tempt the youth. College students will always be the first lot of consumers of new communications technology, which will further continue to change the way they communicate.


Works Cited
Ransford, Marc. "Smart phones displace computers for more college students."
     Ball State University Newscenter. N.p., 6 June 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
     http://www.bsu.edu/news/article/0,1370,7273-850-64351,00.html.
Scott, Campbell W. Perceptions of Mobile Phones in College Classrooms: Ringing,
     Cheating, and Classroom Policies. EBSCO Databases. N.p., July 2006. Web. 13
     Oct. 2010.