The Impacts of Smartphone Usage in Virtual Society on Real Life Interaction

Abstract

This article aims to study 1) an impact of youth’s social interaction in the virtual and real worlds on smartphone usage, 2) the impact, advantages and disadvantages of youth’s smartphone usage, and 3) personal factors affecting smartphone selection and smartphone usage interaction with other people. The qualitative and quantitative fieldwork methods are adopted. The sampled groups are youths who use Smartphones in Phra Nakorn Si Ayutthaya municipal area, Phra Nakorn Si Ayutthaya province. The research methodology consists of 1) population target and sampled group selection 2) research tool creation 3) data collection and 4) data analysis. The Samples 185 people (46.1%) use smartphones for communications via Internet, e-mail, SMS, MMS and chat programs. 221 people (55.9%) use them to play facebook – the highest website visited in this study. This is in accordance with sampled student groups’ interviews; they decided to buy smartphones because they love playing facebook. They use it for chatting, sending and posting pictures and messages that they feel at particular moments. Parents’ aims in buying smartphones for children are for communication with them and friends and for study by searching for information and recording lectures .The 320 people target group (81%) loves playing with their smartphones when they are alone. Mean and standard deviation of smartphone usage impact on whole social interaction are at frequency level. Mean and standard deviation of entire smartphone usage impact on whole interaction are at medium level. Mean and standard deviation of smartphone usage impact on interaction result in information search for reporting or interview study with sampled groups about smartphone usage. The results show they will use their phones at night and mostly when being alone. Only some use smartphones for study. Some will play with smartphones every time they have nothing to do. However, they prefer face-to-face interaction which is more fascinating because they can see eye expression and recognize each other’s feeling. Interviews with sampled parents groups about impact of smartphones on interaction show that parents watch and encourage their children to use smartphones in order to expand their world views with never-ending learning because they can look up anything at anytime. Their children can properly allocate time for activities. Some children are quite obsessed with their phones because they keep playing with their phones every time they have nothing else to do. However, they will stop playing if they are told. They use their smartphones more often during their vacation because they have to stay home and be away from friends. They keep looking at the screens almost all the time. Content analysis of impacts, advantages and disadvantages of youths’ smartphone usage based on interviews of two sampled groups namely students and their parents have three interesting issues; 1) Smartphone advantages: sampled group mostly used them for study and information search. 2) Smartphone disadvantages: some in the sampled group took photos and distributed their finished homework or assignments to friends for plagiarism. 3) Adolescent cultural impact is language and online imitation and surroundings-ignored smartphone addiction. Parents suggested they have to learn how to spend their time and not let themselves too obsessed with smartphones. Online game addicts required more attention. Best of all, parents have to spend more time doing activities with children and youngsters.