In today’s hyper-connected world, individuals increasingly rely on constantly evolving technology to maintain social relationships, both synchronously and asynchronously, regardless of physical proximity. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the correlation between the use of machine mediated communication (MMC) and communication apprehension (CA) in face-to-face communication. Specifically, the research will focus on the questions of whether the use of machine mediated communication, increases individual communication apprehension of in-person conversations and is there is a corresponding predisposition to avoid or minimize “the exchange of social messages and subsequent relational growth” and then examine …show more content…
Therefore, the primary focus of this study is to gather data from a diverse sample of individuals to determine if there is a direct correlation between hyper-reliance on MMC and verbal communication apprehension. The secondary objective is to determine if hyper-reliance on machine mediated communication has devalued verbal communication to such an extent that hyper-reliant individuals possess a diminished capacity and interest in learning the verbal communication skills necessary to develop and sustain close personal relationships through verbal …show more content…
Therefore, the primary area of focus is interpersonal communication, with a focus on communication apprehension and relational intimacy. Stemming from McCrosky and Beatty’s research in communication apprehension (CA), (1977), I propose identifying each participants level of CA and comparing that to their identified degree of reliance on MMC using the Assessment of Computer Mediated Communication Competence (Bubaš, Radoševic, & Hutinski, 2003). Once these two scores have been identified, they will then be compared to the outcome of the individuals report of relational intimacy for non-romantic relationships using research and assessment tools derived from the work of Joanne Steinwachs, LCSW.
Proposed Method of Data Collection
In order to maximize effective and efficient distribution of the survey to a large pool of potential respondents (Neuman, 2013), an electronic survey will be created and disseminated via online social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. A paper version will also be used to collect responses locally from various church, community, and social organizations. Each survey will be coded with a unique identifier to facilitate tracking and reliability and to ensure data integrity (Neuman, 2013).