Browsing by Author "Mustajärvi, Marita"

The aim of this thesis is to study the way young adults talk about smartphones and social media as a part of social interaction within the theoretical framework of cultural studies and social psychology. The point of reading way is based on social constructive discourse combined with the concepts of social interaction, social identity and discursive experience. Even though the young adults' use of smartphones has been previously studied, the views of the users themselves have been neglected along with the ways how using smartphones affect social interaction. Seven people aged between 18 and 23 were interviewed for this thesis. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. A discourse analysis was made of the transcriptions by using a method based on social constructionism. The goal was to find the underlying structures which either enable individuals to think about sociability in a certain way or prevent them from doing so. The social lives of young adults, of which smartphones are an integral part, are shaped by many factors. In order to belong to a certain social group, a young adult must embrace the norms, conventions, and habits shared by the other members of the group. While doing so, they keep reaffirming the social protocols of their group. Any deviations are remarked upon and the fear of becoming an outcast for breaking the rules is real. Using social media with smartphones enables social interaction over long distances, but at the same time it might make being fully present in the here and now more complicated. A young adult is no longer present here, but everywhere.