Authors
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Justin C Velten
The University of Texas at Tyler
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Rauf Arif
The University of Texas at Tyler
Keywords:
Snapchat, Social Media, Communication Trends, Relationship Development
Abstract
This study focuses on Snapchat, a cellphone picture-sending app and its influences on interpersonal relational development and the current understanding of the communication process. Using qualitative interview technique, 75 people were interviewed. These interview responses led to the identification and discussion of seven themes in the realm of interpersonal relationship and human communication. These themes range from moving a relationship from the experimenting to intensifying stage, reinitiating family relationships, relationship maintenance, and avoiding partners. The findings of this study also highlight the significance of a non-response, the level of risk involved in Snapchat messaging, and methods of identity management via Snapchat. Finally, this is a unique study in its approach, which is an effort to look at virtual human communication trends that are contributing to the development and reshaping of interpersonal relationship development models. Also, this investigation provides a new lens of opportunity through which scholars can look at McLuhan’s long-debated claim that the medium is the message.
Author Biographies
Justin C Velten, The University of Texas at Tyler
Dr. Justin Velten serves as Assistant Professor of Communication at The University of Texas at Tyler, where he teaches courses on Intercultural, Interpersonal, and Persuasive Communication. Before coming to UT Tyler, Dr. Velten served as Major Gifts Officer with Herald of Truth Ministries, an expatriate-focused Christian media missions organizations and Go Culture International Coach for expatriates preparing for international and intercultural experiences. His research interests lie within intercultural readiness training within education and missions as well as student engagement through service-learning. He has assisted the UT Tyler Global Awareness Through Education (GATE) program with intercultural readiness training and program assessment and has presented Service-Learning research in Canada and as well as Intercultural Communication research at the International Communication Association conference in Lodz, Poland, and was invited to speak at the International Intercultural Communication Scholars conference in Hong Kong and the Modern Society in the Context of Multicultural Communication conference in Moscow, Russia. Dr. Velten has also published research manuscripts in various areas related to the field of Communication.
Rauf Arif, The University of Texas at Tyler
Assistant Professor of Communication
The University of Texas at Tyler
