Unwillingness-to-communicate and college students' motives in SMS mobile messaging

Abstract

Results from a random sample of 532 college students show that students who made the heaviest use of SMS (Short Message Service) were motivated by its convenience, its low cost, and its utility for coordinating events. People who were socially anxious and were unwilling-to-communicate face-to-face and were put off by the confusing acronyms used in mobile messaging appeared to be those who spent less time, and not more, using SMS despite the fact that SMS could help overcome student’s shyness about bringing up difficult topics with friends. In broad terms, SMS is a social technology and has become a popular communication utility for college students.