Alaina Rober's Rhetoric Blog (Fall 2018)

Introduction Nearly everyone uses cell phones and social media today, but does this make us more or less social than if we did not have them? On average people pick up their phone twenty eight times in a day, a third of which are for no particular reason, which can interrupt their interactions with others who are actually present (MacDonald, 2018). In addition, “87 percent of millennials admitted to missing out on a conversation because they were distracted by their phone” (Saiidi, 2015). Researchers also found that approximately one third of participants followed their parents, partners, children, and friends on social media to replace communicating with them (Noble, 2018). Differences are also found in the cell phone use in men vs. women, women use their phones for about 365 minutes each day, whereas men use their phones for only 287 minutes (Anderson, 2016). Researchers are attempting to find whether or not the increased use of cell phones and social media is improving or hinder...

1. How much time a day do you spend talking to people on your phone? 2. How much time a day do you spend talking to people in person? 3. What social media platforms do you use the most? 4. How often do you choose to use technology over being with people in person? 5. How often do you use your phone while you are with other people? Topic Daily Cell Phone Use Gender Social Media Macdonald 2018 “Each day we unlock our phone 28 times - and over a third of the time this is compulsive and unnecessary.” “The apps we crave most are Facebook , followed by WhatsApp, Gmail and Instagram .” Anderson 2016 Para. 7. “For both the men and women, the study found that prob- lematic cell phone use was negatively related to feelings of emotional closeness with parents and peers.” Para. 3-4 “ Female students reported spending an average of 365 minutes per day using their cell phones...Male students reported spending less time on their phone (287 mi...

The question I plan to research is, "Do cell phones make us more or less social?" This is important because nearly everyone in western societies has a cell phone now and uses it regularly. Many people interact with family and friends in person and through their phones, but are phones helping or hurting our social interactions? Two Research Questions: 1. Approximately how many hours each day do you spend talking to people through online messages (texting, direct messaging, etc.)? 2. Approximately how many hours each day do you spend talking to people in person? To conduct my research I plan to post surveys on social media, (Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) and to ask people around my dorm. This way I can get a variety of responses and hopefully get a good representation of college students and their use of cell phones. With this information I can create a spreadsheet to find on average how much time people spend talking on their phones and in person.

     There are a few ways IMRaD reports are different from argument based research papers including the data found, the argument, and the opposing arguments. The data found within IMRaD reports is conducted by the author whereas the data in a research paper id found from outside sources. The IMRaD data is research found by the author creating an experiment, poll, or observation. The data in a research paper is found from others' experiments, polls, or observations. Research paper data is then compiled into one document to create a valid argument favoring one side of an issue.      The argument in an IMRaD report is based off of the research that the author conducted. The research in argumentative research papers is composed of multiple sources' findings. The argument of an IMRaD report is entirely factual and is purely based on data. On the other hand, the argument of a research paper uses data and statistics but is also dependent on the opinion of the aut...