Date of Award

12-14-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of relational influence on communication media choice in young adults in the United States. It applies the media richness and uses and gratification theories to identify the purpose of communication media in varying interpersonal relationships using face-to-face communication (FtF), phone, text messaging, instant messenger and email. It utilizes survey software to yield quantitative results in an anonymous environment to measure the perceived closeness of the most common relationships for young adults and what specific media is utilized for those relationships. This research design echoes the design of researchers in 2007 in Korea, who sought to explore the configurations of relationships in communication media for Korean society (Kim, et al), which surmises relational influence is a pre-dominating factor in communication. The hypothesis was not supported by the research and a statistically significant correlation between relationships and influence on communication media was not found; however, patterns of closeness in interpersonal relationships for the five different communication media did surface, demonstrating a need for more extensive future research and more in-depth, personal study on the participants and motives for communication.

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