Impact of Mobile Technologies and Gadgets on Adolescent's Interpersonal Relationships

Introduction

This chapter describes the investigations into the effect of mobile gadgets on interpersonal relationships of adolescents in the Indian Context. The chapter is based on the research work carried out by the lead author in order to identify the various ways in which adolescents are affected by location- and time-independence. As a part of this study, it was discovered that there are various stakeholders who are affected by the use of mobility by adolescents – these stakeholders include not only the adolescents themselves but also their parents or guardians, the teachers and their peers or friends. In order to ascertain the full effect of mobility on adolescents it is important to study these four stakeholders, depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Adolescents and the various stakeholders for mobile influence

Background To This Research

Research Methodology

The study is descriptive in nature and has adopted a quantitative survey method to compare the two groups under investigation. A survey was created by the lead author and administered to a group of adolescents and teachers from schools within Vadodara (erstwhile Baroda city) in India. The survey questions were based on ascertaining the views of the adolescents and teachers pertaining to mobile adolescents.