Is time spent on the Internet valuable to students' interpersonal Research Paper

Is time spent on the Internet valuable to students' interpersonal relationships - Research Paper Example Following a survey conducted on college students to investigate the value of the time spent on the internet to their interpersonal relationships, this paper presents an analysis of the findings from the study. This study analyzes the levels of social anxiety in college students and its influence on their behavior on the internet. The findings depict a weak positive correlation between the use of internet and amount of time spent with friends and acquaintances. Introduction Communication through the internet, mainly social networking sites, has become a regular practice among internet users as computers and the internet have become part and parcel of daily life. The internet offers convenient means of establishing social contact with others as well as socially interacting with them. Internet interaction made possible by digital connection generates a situation where users bargain their time online while socializing. The spread of social media also enables users to navigate face-to-fac e and online relationships through online interactions. Many studies conducted regarding how internet use affects individual’s relationships socially have indicated a disparity in results. While some studies concluded that internet use formed new relationships and strengthened existing ones, others displayed that internet use contributed to a decline in the size of individuals’ social circles as time spent interacting on the internet lessened face-to-face interactions and Social activities. Easy access to internet facilities, especially due to increasing wireless internet in various places, is another factor which directly influences social relationships. Lately, a growing number of internet users access the internet from a wireless connection either at home, school or some restaurant. This shows that many internet users are mainly using mobile phones, laptops, tablets or other portable devices to check mail or browse the internet using cell phone networks of Wi-Fi hot spots. Some studies argue that those who depend on wireless access as a connection means build up different behaviors compared to their wired counterparts. Wi-Fi particularly makes integration of intensive internet use with the use of public space possible. Public spaces are a unique factor in the shaping and maintenance of social networks, democracy, and individual opinions. It is therefore pertinent to analyze how internet use affects interpersonal relationships and the value of this influence. The aim of this study is to investigate implications of internet use for college student’s interpersonal relationship. How valuable are these implications? This study uses questionnaires to establish the levels of anxiety among the college students and to conduct a detailed survey of the relationship between internet use and their interpersonal relationships. To gain knowledge of the intricate effects the internet has on social relationships, its critical to investigate how often the students use particular social networking websites and for what purposes. Specifically, this study analyses how these social networking websites are beneficial to the students’ lives in terms of enhancing their social relationships. Finally, this study also compares the use of social networking sites to other channels of interaction like phone calls, emails and text messages to establish the