By FORRESTER PACK/Murphy News Service

Interpersonal communication has never been so pronounced in society as it is today — especially in the rapid growth of smartphone technology that some say is changing the way Americans relate to one another.

A 2013 Pew Research study found that nine out of 10 American adults owned a cellphone. And a April 2015 comScore report showed 186.3 million Americans own a smartphone — nearly 60 percent of the country’s population. Research by comScore showed that since November of 2014 smartphone ownership has jumped 5 percent alone.

An article by Lee Rainie explaining the study results showed “the cell phone is the most quickly adopted consumer technology in the history of the world.” Pew completed another study in 2014 that found nearly two-thirds of American adults owned a smartphone.

But those studies concerned general adult usage. What about among college students and younger generations in general?

There is definitely anecdotal evidence concerning the possible over-use of cell phones by the younger generation and younger college students. Distracted driving, ubiquitous laptops and smartphones in classroom settings are a few of the negative stereotypes that surround  millennials. “All millennials are great at social media,” a U.S. News and World article article about workplace stereotypes reported. Certainly, some users of social media don’t agree with the anecdotal evidence about negative effects from cellphones and smartphones.

“The benefits of smartphones FAR outweigh the cons, in my opinion,” Reddit user “CaptainPlummet” recently wrote in a response to a posted question from Murphy News Service. “People like to (complain) about cellphone use stifling social interaction, but to me, that’s trivial and will likely go away when that behavior is stigmatized enough. (That’s) not to say it already isn’t.”

Technology meets sociology

Tamyra Pierce, a media effects researcher at California State University-Fresno, said she believes cellphones are, in some ways, negatively affecting social interactions among youth and younger college students.

“From my research and others, I believe the decline in face-to-face communication can be linked to the increased usage of cellphones in society,” Pierce said. “We’ve seen social anxiety increase over the years, and from our research, cellphones and technology seem to be playing a major role.”

Kathleen Hall, an associate professor in the sociology department at the University of Minnesota, said she believes sociology is definitely affected by the prevalence and innovative nature of phone technology.

“Cellphones have been around for over 20 years, but I think the shift we see today came with the evolution of smartphones. Social relationships changed — people are now constantly available,” Hall said. “Texting, social media have transformed cellphones into a means of entering various kinds of social relationships but also a way to become distracted in face-to-face, person-to-person relationships.”

Researchers around the country are studying those effects and what it could mean for society at-large, but as of now, there is no definitive scientific answer as to whether cellphone and smartphone usage is a net negative for society.

Hall noted how researchers from disciplines outside sociology are looking into the subject, specifically recalling Massachusetts Institute of Technology clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle’s 2015 book, “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age.” For her part, Hall said that she has observed some discernable effects in classroom settings.

“I share a lot of the concerns that have been raised from national research,” she said. “Everything from people with phones not being fully present or connected in conversations, the impact on individual attention spans, the need for constant stimulation, instant entertainment.

“I personally found it interesting observing how hard it is for undergraduates to put away their cellphones for a whole class period,” Hall added. “I feel people are just really distracted in class when they’re on cellphones or laptops.”

Pierce shared the observation that students in classrooms are becoming increasingly distracted by cellphone technology.

“We are seeing similar patterns here at Fresno State and across the country,” she said.

“(The smartphone) has become almost an extension of the self for a lot of younger people, I think,” Hall said. “In the classroom, I think sometimes we are too quick in assuming higher levels of technology make for a better learning experience. Even at the middle and high school levels, stakeholders are starting to question whether it’s worth having computers in classrooms and obligatory iPads if there is going to be a trade-off in the amount of attention paid to the lesson.”

Is there an app for that?

With inconclusive results, but a fair amount of anecdotal evidence, it is important to remember that cellphones, smartphones, and technology, in general, aren’t all bad all the time, for all of society, Pierce said in an email.

“Technology use doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. For some, the use of technology actually helps their social skills and increases their comfort levels when talking to others face-to-face,” Pierce said in an email.

“It’s important that we get the impacts of these different technologies on people, what works and what doesn’t,” Hall said.

Pierce and Hall essentially agreed that the nature of cellphone and smartphone technology could transform rapidly once again, as it has over the past decade, which could shake up its perceived sociological effects even more.

With that in mind, Hall also said there are positives about the current technology for individuals and families.

“I think Facebook (ranked the No. 1 smartphone app in the U.S.) is a great example of a positive form of social interaction. People can get in touch with friends they may have not been in contact with for some time,” she said. “There’s definitely something to be gained from having a wider network of connections. I’m not a total ‘tech-hater,’ but in respect to technology use in educational settings, I have reservations and concerns about how things may unfold in the decades ahead.”

“Smartphones have allowed people to be more informed and connected than ever before in history,”  “CaptainPlummet,” the Reddit responder, said in a comment. “Everything can be better documented as videos and pictures. Any content can be uploaded into a cloud if the device were to be (compromised). More information is gathered and shared every day thanks to this technology.”

Reporter Forrester Pack is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.