McMullan 1

Annotated Bibliography How has electronic communication affected teenagers?

Becca McMullan Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1102 March 1, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

McMullan 2 Coyne, Sarah, et al. ""I luv u:)!": A Descriptive Study of the Media of Individuals in Romantic Relationships." Family Relations. (2011): 150-162. Web. 17 Feb. 2010 In this journal, Sarah Coyne, along with several other authors, discuss a study from Brigham Young University relating to the positives and negatives of individuals within romantic relationships communicating through electronic communication. The authors mention how computer-mediated communication like email and social networking sites increase sociability, particularly for shy individuals. Some researchers found that Facebook increases jealousy in relationships. Cell phones and text messaging allow people to talk to several people at once, leave gaps in between a conversation and conceal the truth. The study reveals there were misunderstandings in text messages with a lack of facial cues and tone of voice that enhances communication. Couples that dealt with these misunderstandings found it hard to maintain a stable relationship. The authors studies mention that couples can stay in contact more often and increase communication when they are apart through texting. This study reveals that a majority of individuals express affection towards their partners through electronic communication. Electronic communication may have less tension and emotional feelings than face-to-face communication. However, texting offensive messages can negatively affect communication in a relationship. The authors of this journal provide research on how electronic communication affects relationships. Sarah Coyne, one of the authors, has a PhD from the University of Central Lancashire. Her research concerns media violence and relational aggression of adolescents. Coyne has several publications of studies she collaborated with other researchers relating to the uses of electronic communication amongst teenagers, such as this journal from Brigham Young University. The authors are objective as they go into detail about the topic

McMullan 3 with supporting and opposing arguments. This reliable source relates to the psychological aspects of young teens in relationships when it comes to electronic communication. The intended audience of this topic is young teens. The authors studies allows me to gain insight of the teen population and how they are affected by electronic communication. This source gives me a better understanding of my topic from a general view of adolescent relationships. The examples mentioned will allow me to go into more specific discussions and add my personal connection to it. The authors of this journal provides me with information relating to my topic that I will use in my final project. Meltzer, Tom. "Social networking: Failure to connect." Guardian. (2010): n. page. Web. 17 Feb. 2012. The author of this article, Tom Meltzer, explains how he felt pressured to join Facebook, saying it was social suicide to not join. He discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. Meltzer focuses on how people connect with others through this website. Although posting pictures and details about your life is not required, you are encouraged to do so. Several years ago, he opened his account and found that he had no friends on his list. He instantly felt isolated from everyone else. Meltzer believes that there is a higher capacity of misunderstanding in online communication and that people are missing out on that one quality face-to-face conversation. Even he admits he is not the only one that has been through a Facebook break up. However, the site does allow for people to keep in touch with people from long distances. Not everyone on Facebook is a close friend. Meltzer had a man named David who used to beat him up, add him on Facebook. Meltzer mentions Facebook does have its advantages, allowing people to keep up with friends birthdays or share interests with others.

McMullan 4 Tom Meltzer has been writing for The Guardian for several years. His articles consist of video game reviews and current issues such as Diesel Fuel and the Greek debt crisis. He was objective in this article. He stated several examples relating to him that provide emphasis on my topic. Meltzer highlights the benefits and drawbacks of Facebook as a means of communication. The audience pertaining to this article ranges from young teens to adults, or anyone that uses Facebook. His personal connection with this topic allows me to give more insight of how it affects an individual rather than a large amount of people. I found it useful and I feel like I have a personal connection similar to his. I am looking forward to incorporating this into my final project. Stout, Hilary. Antisocial Networking? New York Times. 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. Hilary Stout, a writer for New York Times Magazine, discusses the disadvantages and benefits of electronic communication in this article. The prefixes teenagers use when conversing over Facebook are far more popular than hanging out with friends in the neighborhood. Research suggests electronic communication may cause teens to feel less interested in face-toface interaction. Todays generation of youths are missing out on those days spent telling secrets with a close friend that may help them develop emotions such as empathy and reading social cues. Some researchers believe kindergartners will be playing with laptops on the side rather than on the playground. However, there are arguments that claim technology has brought them close together. Stout mentions Beth Cafferty, a mother of a teenage daughter that believes they have a close relationship, considering they text each other daily. A mother of a seventeen year old son believes Facebook has kept him in touch with his friends so often to the point where he became withdrawn and skittish when communicating in person. He mentioned his friend had a birthday and rather than call him to wish him a happy birth-

McMullan 5 day, he said he would write on his Facebook wall. His mother has been encouraging him to get out more and interact with friends his own age outside of the computer. Hannah Kilot relies on texting her friends when it comes to making plans. Even her mother texts her children from the comfort of her own bedroom. Robert Wilson believes his son, Evan, has become more social because of electronic communication ever since he introduced his son to Facebook. Evan has been talking with a girl from a former school. Hilary Stout has been a reporter, columnist and an editor for many years. She graduated with honors from Brown University. She spent most of her time reporting in Washington, discussing health care, economics and other topics. Stout was a founding editor of Personal Journal in 2002. In this reliable article, she is objective. She mentions both sides of how electronic communication has affected young teens. The audience of this article is preteens and adults. Stouts article was helpful and mentioned how parents are affected by their teens use of electronic communication. I will definitely use this article for my final project as it pertains to child-parent relationships.

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, et al. "Online Communication And Adolescent Relationships." Future Of Children 18.1 (2008): 119-146. Education Research Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.

In this article, the authors address how adolescents interaction with strangers online may have benefits such as relief of social anxiety and sexual predation. The usage of electronic communication may be affecting child-parent relationships, meaning that teens choose peer communication over parent communication. Teenagers use IMs or instant messaging to communicate with peers offline. The authors discuss how social networking sites allow for teenagers to make plans with friends and stay in touch with those they hardly see. Blogs are

McMullan 6 used to express what they are doing in their daily lives. Privacy controls over websites like Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and blogs allow teens to control who can view their profiles and provide private means of communicaton between peers. Evidence has shown that teens may be less interested in face-to-face communication due to electronic communication. The authors research shows that cyber bullying has become more popular electronically through chat rooms and text messages with reports claiming the victims knew who the bully was. The authors mention a few facts like one quarter of teens have communicated with their romantic partners hourly via text message. Boys with low self-esteem and girls with parental conflicts were more likely to form online relationships. Teenagers usage of electronic communication may hinder their relationships with their parents, siblings and other family members. Families are becoming more distant as children focus on their electronic gadgets, ignoring their parents. Parents feel the need to give in to texting just to stay in touch with their children. Kaveri Subrahmanyam, one of the authors of this article, received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from University of California, Los Angeles. A part of her research focuses on youth and digital media. She has examined forms of internet communication such as chat rooms, blogs and social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. The authors of this article are objective. They provide the pros and cons of online communication. Their research provides examples of how popular websites and other means of electronic communication have affected teens on a much broader scale. The authors present valuable information relating to peer, romantic and parental relationships. The intended audience is teenagers. This article focuses on relationships between friends and family, like parents and

McMullan 7 how electronic communication is enhancing and threatening how they interact with each other. This article is similar in context with Hilary Stouts perspective of electronic communication affecting child-parent relationships. This research has given me a view of parental perspectives on how electronic communication has affected their relationship with their children. I am looking forward to incorporating this research to my final project as it has given me more insight on how my relationship with my parents can relate to the affects of electronic communication.