Case study questions 3 and 4

Smart Phones: Promoting Communication Connectedness or Disconnectedness? In carly 2007. Anjali Athavaley, writiag in The Wall. promoted incivality in the communications preccss. Street Journal, observed that "/wlireless email devices */F]riends hardly call each other. People resist proused to be largely the domain of harricd executives and tocols that call for verbal communication. . . People protessionals. Now, the so-called Cirackkerry effect is don't like asing their phones to make calls or listen beginning to afflice the masses. The Blackberry has be- to voice mails." - Texting seems to be the preferted come ingrained in daily life, mucb hke the cellpbonc and mode, cspecially for younger people, when communicomputer. "1 Indeed, since this observation was penned, cating with others. stnartphones, lake the Black Berry, have becotre ubiqui- Among college stiadents, texting is a daminant form of tous in the general population. People froan all walks of commanication, and as nost any college student knowr, life, young and old, all sociocconamic strata, etc., have texting goes on at inappropriate times, For instance, texeabraced the potential of smartphones for communi- timg during class-even when it's not allowed-is a comcating with ochers, searching for intormation, doing, mon occurtence, "la a sarvey of 1,043 college stadents work, playing pames, and a myriad other applications. at the University of New Hampshire, almost balf said - Elveryone froas stay-at-home parents to college sta- they feel guilfy aboat texting during clask when at's not dents is depending on BlackBerrys ee similat . . devices allowed, Even soy, texting is quaite commont 65 percent for busic daily tasiks, such as checking sports scores, find- said they send at least one text message duaring a typical ing directiops, enailing the children's baschall coach and clas."? keeping in up-to-the-minute touch with friends." -They -People calling. fextirg and responding to e-masls at are talking, ont mobile plones, checking entatl on hand- irappropriate tanes and places have becoene an isse in held computers or intcerated coenmanicater, or getting both a profestional and business context, s joseph De an instant or a text message on cither device. Some are Avala, reporting for The Wall Street loarnal, notes peolistening to music and playing games on personal game ple have a pervasive expectation that they have instant consoles, while others are checking sports scores, watch- access to email, and rapid replies to one's mesiagek are ing replays, or cven making dimmer reservations, No expected." matfer age, gender, national identify, or iociocconomic Incivilify in interperional commanacation is manisatus, bread mobule device adoption seces to know ao fested in the level of empathy that people display tobounds." ward cach other. "Recent research has saiown a marked Smartphones, like the HackBerry have aumerous decline in cmpathy..... A new Univeraity of Michigan potential applications. Nick Wingficld, writing in The study finds that cinpathy among college stadenty has Wall Street Jovernal, notes that "mobile workers have declined 40% in the past two decades. Researchers say been ditehing their decktop cemaputers for laptops that one factor may be eur eeliance on spcial meslia. We're they can take whercver they go. Now road warriors more apt to be empathetic when we communicate face are starting to realite that they can get even tote por- to face, "10 tability-and lots of compuring punch-lrom [5]mart Yet some hacklash is occurring to the pull of tech|Plhones," Many besiness "travelers are now using pological connectivity. "la an increasiagly connected [Sliart [P]hones the way they once abed laptops-aad world, some CEO5 prefer to kick it old kchool, avoiding Laptops the way they once used desktop competers," and the shoer attention span that coases with heing plugsed some traveling business people are even =ditching their ini. They have assistants that handle all their cominanicalaptops entirely and doing all their mobile work from tion, prefer reading printed out c-mails, and don't dip |S|mart [P/hones."; their toes in any social media. That level of isolation is With the increased popularity of smartphones unrealistic for most execatives, but leaming when to and all they can do to facilitate communications, consect and when to disconaect is esicntial in today's "hey have undermined verbal communication and bustincss culture,"1I 312 PART I INTERPERSONAL PHOCESSES AND BEHAVOH As people everywhere are becoming more connected 3. How have smartphones transformed the way in technologically, are they becoming increasingly disconwhich college students communicate? nected interpersonally? 4. Do you think that as people become more con- Discussion Questions nected technologically they becoene less connected interpersonally? Why or why noc? 1. Can the hasic interpersonal commanication model be used as an aid in understanding the impact of smartphone usage? If so, how? Mary L. Moreal Char ef Chrithis Bwiten Fatice and Trehowir of Man 2. How have smariphones transformed the way in which business people communicate with regard to fulfilling their job responsihilities? Chapter 8 Case References 1. A. Arhavaley, "The New Elwkieny Addics; Vhiquatous Thofewinal 2. thid lane 17,20111 . 2005) 49 i4 porses. 4. N. Wirgfeld, "Tectnology (A Special Repont, why lr Mar It Time to Teare the Lapteo Brhind, For More Mritile Wurk tre, Phane Increat5. I. De Arits. "The Ueuned Catlifbose Anpe Calline'" The wal 5 erret ingly gave Them Maxh of What Ther Need-With a Lar Less Hasie." haemal ifastem edition: Fehnuen 26, 2018. D1. 5. Thid Ahinen 84 (1) iSunner Bodts: 127