Partner Project Report

Mobile Devices and How People Interact with Them

By Nicole Kirchoff and Jacob Fraint

Objective:

The objective of this study was to observe how people interact with their mobile devices and how it affects their interaction with people around them. It is also to find out in what situations people tend to use their mobile devices and how their engagement with the devices differs in different situations.

Study:

For our study, we went to different places around campus, a dining hall, library, lecture hall, and bus stop, and took note of multiple things. The items we observed were gender, type of device being used, how long they were using the device, and whether or not they with other people. We took a sampling of about 20 people for each location in order to get a snapshot of the situation. After the data was collected, we collaborated and shared our information to find different trends within the data.

Discussion:

The bus stop was a location that practically had everyone by themselves if they were using a mobile device. The one person that was recorded as being with people was talking to his friend on the phone trying to find where she was. When they found each other he ended he no longer used a mobile device.  This may coincided with the statement that people feel awkward when waiting by themselves and so they feel the need to use some type of mobile technology to make it appear that they are busy or engaged. At the bus stop there were absolutely no laptops being used. The mobile devices that were recorded were MP3s and cellphones. There were eleven out of twenty people using cell phones and nine out of twenty people using their cell phone. This is a pretty even split, and so these device are both acceptable to be using at a bus stop while alone. Laptops are probably too clunky to be using at a bus stop and you may need more time to work on your laptop, but the buses arrive pretty quickly. Most of the non-call activity we saw lasted about 15 to 30 seconds. It appeared to be people replying to text messages. One girl was actually texting as she walked on to the bus so we were only able to get a 30 second time from her. The longest non-call use at the bus stop was a girl who appeared to be checking her email on her phone for about two minutes. The bust stop was also very interesting because it was observed that even though they were not using their cell phones, a lot people were just holding their cell phones in their hands if they were alone. Perhaps they want to create the illusion that they are waiting for someone’s text or someone’s call to make them feel less awkward about being alone.

The Mall was another location that had a decent amount of alone individuals using a mobile device. Fifteen out of twenty people using a mobile device were alone. Actually, data collection at the Mall was a lot more difficult than at other locations. Not many people were using mobile devices here. A good amount of the individuals at the mall were actually outside to enjoy the weather!  There were some people playing Frisbee and some others just lying out in the grass. For the Information 3.0 class were always talking about how people are constantly using technology, so It was nice to see people just hanging out outside. The device most used in this location was the cell phone, and all of these individuals were alone. Perhaps people just want a location to talk on the their phone in relative privacy. There are a lot of random spots on the Mall that people can go to to talk on their phones. Also, there was a girl that spent a total of 5 min and 30 seconds on her cell phone texting.  She appeared to be on her cigarette break and also employed the habit of leaving her cell phone in her hand awaiting the next text. There was one individual on the phone for 2 minutes and 50 seconds that appeared to be texting and browsing. There was actually a person that seemed to be gaming on his cell phone for about 2 minutes. A new device that was recorded here was one person with a camera and this may be because the Mall is really pretty and they wanted to catch snapshots of it.

For the library we recorded just one more person in order to make the subjects observed an even twenty. It was a female alone and using her laptop, which enforces what we said about people using laptops alone at the library. For the data we collected at the library 12 out of 20 people appeared to be alone while using their devices. This may be an indication of the necessity to use devices while alone to appear less socially awkward or simply because people feel that they study and get more work done if they work alone at the library. Sixteen out of 20 people were using laptops. This may be supported by the fact that the library is a place most come to get their work done and it’s the laptop that has Word as well as the internet to help people right papers and complete assignments. Many college assignments are actually posted on the Internet for students to complete and turn in. Only three individuals were listening to an MP3 player. Many people may not be able to focus on homework and listen to music at the same time. Also, all the MP3 players were alone and not interacting with other people. This can correspond to the fact that it may be difficult to listen to headphones and chat with a friend at the same time. Finally, the only non-call activity on a cell phone that occurred was a girl taking down a guy’s number, and this only lasted about twenty seconds. That was the only cell phone that was seen while in the library. Maybe people don’t want to talk on the cell phone for fear of disturbing other’s studying and the library is usually a place of study, so individuals may not want to play on their cell phone; they want to get their work done.

While observing people on their mobile devices in both the dining hall and a lecture hall before class started, we noticed some trends. The first trend, which was the most obvious, was that people who were alone, both in the dining and lecture halls, generally used their devices more than people who were with someone else. This includes devices such as cell phones, laptops, and mp3 devices. This trend was found across both genders. Social rules might be what dictated this data. In the article, ‘Cell phones in public: social interactions in a wireless era,’ there is mention of social rules. Things like talking on the phone while with someone else is mentioned in the article and is discussed in multiple ways. When a friend is on a phone, the other person is felt left out and can feel uncomfortable. This could be one of the reasons as to why only people who were alone were engaging with their cell phones and mp3 players.

The next trend that was found was that most people listening to mp3 devices while in the lecture hall had Apple products. Most people listening to music had the iPod touch device, while some were still using the iPod classic. While in the dining hall, the iPod touches were being used more for non-music activities. This particular piece of data was not too surprising due to the increasing popularity of Apple products. It is also not surprising because according to an article from Cnet News, one in five people under the age of 30 own an iPod or some form of mp3 player. The article also stated that people who use the Internet, which is every college student, are four times more likely to have an mp3 player. So it is not surprising that so many people had iPods or other mp3 players. 

Another thing we noticed about the people who were not alone and on their devices is that they were also interacting with the people with whom they sat. In the dining hall, it appeared as though the people in small groups were studying together, with their laptops out, while in the lecture hall, they were just socializing while using their computers at the same time. This is always going to be this way because lecture halls are not areas of group study while places with large tables like a dining hall or a library are better equipped for groups studying together for longer periods of time.

Sources:

http://news.cnet.com/Whos-buying-iPods/2100-1041_3-5577396.html

Humphreys, Lee. ‘Cellphones in public: social interactions in a wireless era.’ 2005, New Media Society