9/21 Reading- LDR

In the scholarly article, Channels of Computer Mediated Communication and Satisfaction in Long-Distance Relationships by, Adam J. Hampton , Jessica Rawlings, Stanislav Treger c , Susan Sprecher, study the ways in which communication technologies are implemented into personal relationships. This study specifically focuses on how these technologies can provide satisfaction for individuals in long distance relationships. When studying the intersection between these relationships, the authors emphasize the importance of studying newer media forms to understand the technology and relationship satisfaction in LDR’s.

To get a better understanding of communication in LDR’s, the authors surveyed 588 Midwestern University students who were in LDR’s. The participants of the study were presented with 12 mediums of communication: phone calls, received texts, sent texts, received messages, sent messages, instant messages, Skype FaceTime, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Hangouts. This study was a way to assess the multiple communication technologies that people in LDR’s were using. Their target was to create a reddit page to ask participants about their satisfaction using these communication platforms in their LDR’s. Surprisingly, the studies concluded that “ Skype served as the best predictor of communication satisfaction and relationship satisfaction.” (14). However, due to technological issues such as time difference and bad connection, people don’t utilize Skype that often. Instead, many of the participants preferred to use texting as their main form of communication in their LDR’s.

While reading this study, I was shocked that the analysis concluded that texting was the main form of communication in LDR’s. However, being in a LDR myself, I analyzed my personal experience with communicating when geographically separated. Although I completely prefer to FaceTime, I realized my boyfriend and I’s main source of communication is texting. Not only do we have conflicting schedules , but we also live in different time zones. Therefore, texting is usually our easiest form of communication when we find ourselves to busy to have face-to-face for of communication. I also realized our best forms of communication were through these “social snacks” that the authors discussed in the beginning of the article. These “social snacks” includes sending snapchats or posting stories, which satisfies our “social appetite” in knowing what the other person is doing.