Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

5-8-2024 11:00 AM

End Date

5-8-2024 1:00 PM

Subjects

Psychology, Social Psychology

Advisor

Cynthia Mohr

Student Level

Undergraduate

Abstract

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been spending significantly more time online. Today, people spend an average of 6 hours and 58 minutes online every day, and much of this time is spent socializing via various platforms. Many studies have examined the benefits and risks of socializing online, but few studies have examined online conversations specifically. In this study I aim to uncover the differences in perceived social connection based on the medium of conversation. To do this, I will administer the Connectedness During Conversations Scale (CDCS) to a sample of Portland State University students (N=80). The CDCS is a 14-item questionnaire that is broken down into 4 subsections (shared reality, partner responsiveness, participant interest, affective experience) and measures perceived social connectedness. Each participant will be asked to complete the survey twice; once for a recent in-person conversation they had, and the second time for a recent online conversation they had. I predict that online conversations will score higher in the 4 subsections than in-person conversations. Gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms that promote connectedness in conversations can guide the development of future social media platforms and loneliness interventions.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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May 8th, 11:00 AM May 8th, 1:00 PM

Online or In-Person: What Mode of Conversation Makes People Feel the Most Socially Connected?

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been spending significantly more time online. Today, people spend an average of 6 hours and 58 minutes online every day, and much of this time is spent socializing via various platforms. Many studies have examined the benefits and risks of socializing online, but few studies have examined online conversations specifically. In this study I aim to uncover the differences in perceived social connection based on the medium of conversation. To do this, I will administer the Connectedness During Conversations Scale (CDCS) to a sample of Portland State University students (N=80). The CDCS is a 14-item questionnaire that is broken down into 4 subsections (shared reality, partner responsiveness, participant interest, affective experience) and measures perceived social connectedness. Each participant will be asked to complete the survey twice; once for a recent in-person conversation they had, and the second time for a recent online conversation they had. I predict that online conversations will score higher in the 4 subsections than in-person conversations. Gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms that promote connectedness in conversations can guide the development of future social media platforms and loneliness interventions.