This paper is conducted to explore if new media technology is positively or negatively affecting social interactions within households and relationships. The main objective is to examine how technology has impacted social interaction and whether it is bringing people together or leads to a decline in social relations among individuals. The study investigates the impact of technology on social interactions by targeting households and relationships among people.
The most useful research method in a social interaction paper is the use of qualitative methods to explore the underlying reasons and motivations behind a phenomenon. Qualitative research is the appropriate research method as it is designed to capture the social life of participants. Using a qualitative approach will help the researcher to gain insight into the problem and develop a hypothesis for the study. It also provides a deeper understanding of mechanisms that allows a researcher to identify new phenomena.
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In this study, the researcher seeks to explore and understand social interactions between people and how they interact in relationships with new media technology in question. The strategy of inquiry is phenomenology since the purpose is to capture large amounts of unstructured information without explicit explanations. Therefore, an exploratory research design is best suited in seeking to understand the phenomenon. The approach to this study is subjective that focuses on observing participants and making conclusions.
The population for this study comprises of the millennial generation and the young people who are most likely to own technological devices and take advantage of its wide range of functions. The research location is a college institution that comprises of young people who are mostly consumed in technology. Purposive and snowball sampling is used in selecting a sample from the entire population, whereby the researcher recruits participants who are willing to discuss their social interactions and how it has been impacted by technology. A sample population of 100 participants comprising of college students of both genders is used to get their opinion regarding technology and social interactions. The sample consists of ten focus groups of college students who sign up for a preferred time to be interviews based on their availability.
The data collection methods involve the use of semi-interviews and focus group interviews, as well as including participant observation to get information from the population. Before the focus groups begin, participants are asked to respond to a brief survey that asks about their demographic information, their social affiliations at the university, and specific questions about daily frequency of digital communication use in their social interactions.
Semi-structured interview questions are used with open-ended questions, asking participants to reflect on when and where they used digital technology in social interactions. The focus group interviews are collected by female professors of a different generation, who could influence how much the young participants disclose about their use of technology in social interactions. Focus group interviews are appropriately used to collect data because digital technology often involves interaction with peers. The researcher asks open-ended questions with responses recorded for analysis.
Similarly, participant observation is conducted by observing college students using their smartphones in social interactions when engaging in different activities. Participant observation allows the researcher to distinguish between actual and expected behavior. It is a convenient method of social anthropology research that allows observing participants' understudy and recording their social interactions with technology. Combining these data collection methods increases the validity of the data and get a broader perspective of the research.
Since the research involves human subjects, issues of participant consent to participate in the study are considered. All participants provide their permission to participate and are assured of the privacy and anonymity of their identities. The field researcher explains the purpose of conducting this study and allow them to select when and where to conduct the interviews. Data analysis involves transcribing data from interviews, focus groups, and participant observations and organizing it to generate themes. The collected data is reproduced and entered into computer software.
