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    Unwrapping Presence: The Impact of Cell Phones on Face-to-Face Conversations

    Cover for Unwrapping Presence: The Impact of Cell Phones on Face-to-Face Conversations
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    View/Open: Morris_georgetown_0076M_14001.pdf (731kB) Bookview

    Creator
    Morris, Amanda
    Advisor
    Turner, Jeanine W
    ORCID
    0000-0002-9636-1681
    Abstract
    Ubiquitous digital devices such as cell-phones have made it easier for people to multicommunicate, or participate in multiple conversations at once. While these devices have enhanced the multicommunicative environment, they have also threatened to take away from some of the key interpersonal elements of face-to-face (FtF) conversation, such as the ability to listen and pay attention. While un-interrupted FtF conversation provides the opportunity for individuals to form closer bonds of intimacy with their conversation partner, the presence of cell-phones within such interactions now creates a challenge where individuals must compete for the attention and presence of their partner. The theory of attentional social presence proposes that communicators attempt to secure the attention of their conversation partner through four types of presence: budgeted, entitled, competitive, and invitational social presence. Each type of social presence contains a different focus on cell-phone use and a specific set of motivations based off of a desired personal and relational outcome. Grounded in the theory of attentional social presence, this thesis aims to better understand how the Millennial generation navigates the four types of presence within FtF conversations, paying close attention to the relational outcomes that each presence type provides. The data collected from 23 semi-structured interviews with participants aged 18-36 suggests that one’s decision to use a certain type of attentional social presence is highly dependent on contextual factors such as relational closeness, number of conversational partners, and the topic of the conversation.
    Description
    M.A.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/1050747
    Date Published
    2018
    Subject
    Attentional Social Presence; Cell-phones; Expectancy Violations Theory; Face-to-Face communication; Interpersonal Communication; Politeness Theory; Communication; Oral communication; Communication;
    Type
    thesis
    Publisher
    Georgetown University
    Extent
    112 leaves
    Collections
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Communication, Culture & Technology
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    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility