By Lexie V. Owen
A "fauxcellarm" is an unfamiliar word for many, but a common experience for most. It refers to the phantom ring or vibration one imagines coming from their cell phone.
Many researchers regard this symptom as a sign of cell phone addiction. According to a recent study conducted by David Chizum, this phenomena is an example of the extraordinary attachments college students form with phones.
"For most college people, their world revolves around their use of cell phones," said associate professor of Computer Science and Engineering Jeff Cramer. "It connects college students to everyone and everything that matters to them."
David Chizum, a 2009 Taylor graduate has been fascinated by the relationship between college students and their cell phones. He is currently working on his M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development (MAHE).
For his thesis, Chizum began a study which lasted from October 2011 to February 2013. He researched the impact of cell phones on student involvement outside the classroom. His goal was to investigate how cell phones impacted students' involvement with each other, faculty, and on-campus events, as well as how students perceive cell phones and other cell phone users.
His research included interviews with eight college students who regularly use cell phones.
Chizum's results showed that cell phones not only promote involvement with other students, but also that students are more likely to attend events they hear about through their phones.
The students Chizum interviewed did not always characterize cell phones positively. Cell phones are best at the quantity of interactions rather than the quality, according to his study.
Text messages can communicate information often. Still, many college students complain about a lack of in depth relationships and believe cell phones could be at fault for superficiality.
Cramer, who worked with Chizum on his thesis, offered a possible explanation.
"When you use a tool like this to help with human relationships, it means you don't have to put as much effort into that relationship," Cramer said. "We are all susceptible to misusing our modern communication devices in ways that detract from human relationships."
According to Chizum, one of the biggest fears and anxieties of college life is feeling socially left out. Students often fear that if they don't have their cell phones, they may miss something important. He believes the leading motives for students using cell phones are fast and efficient information gathering and simply the need to feel needed.
"A cell phone is a hard thing to live without, especially when having one is so gratifying and tied to one's identity," Chizum said.Through this study, Chizum hopes to inform student development professionals about a behavior of college students that often goes unnoticed. Chizum also hopes students will become more aware of their motivations behind cell phone usage.
"If college students become more reflective consumers of technology and understand how cell phones have changed their life, I will feel I have contributed something meaningful to the people I am so passionate about: college students," Chizum said via email.
With 86 percent of its population owning cell phones, America is one of the leading countries for cell phone use. According to Chizum, the leading population of cell phone users is American college students. Ninety-four percent of U.S. college students own a cell phone, 85 percent text with 75 percent texting daily.
"To be a college student is to own a cell phone," Chizum said.
