Relationship of Instant Messaging to the Face-to-Face Communication and Social Relationship of College Students

Abstract

Instant messaging has become a very popular and common application in everyday
life. It is perceived to be useful for interpersonal communication. However, this
application may affect the social aspects of individuals. Thus, this study
determined the relationship of instant messaging to college students’ face-to-face
communication, particularly in the aspects of kinesics, and their social relationship
with their peers, classmates, family, relatives and teachers. Sixty seven college
students participated in the study through a researcher-made questionnaire. The
data was analyzed using Pearson’s r, ANOVA, and Mann Whitney U-test. The
findings of the study are as follows: 1) the respondents use smartphones more that
their other devices, and that Facebook Messenger is the application they used most
for communication; 2) the respondents use instant messaging more frequently to
communicate with their classmates and peers than with their family, relatives, and
teachers; and 3) that respondents’ face-to-face communication happens more
frequently with their peers and classmates than with their family, relatives, and
teachers. This study also revealed that the more the respondents use instant
messaging, the more their face-to-face communication improved. In the same way,
their social relationship also develops as they use instant messaging. Make use of
instant messaging as a tool to improve the quality of students life is one of the many
implications of the study.