March 20, 2025
By Sena Fidan
Editor
When passing notes in class became simple texts, communication shifted.
The thrill of folded paper exchanged with a knowing glance was replaced by emojis and abbreviations. Cellphones have made communication quick and more efficient, but they have also depersonalized it.
Sophomore Aiden Nguyen, who uses his phone to communicate with his friends, said phones and virtual communication can negatively impact relationships.
“You lack any physical connection,” Nguyen said. “It’s all words and text instead of genuine talking and hanging out.”
Phones have fundamentally changed not only how people communicate but also how people present themselves.
A report published in “Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace” in 2013 found that people tend to adopt a more curated version of themselves while texting, leading to discrepancies between their online and in-person personas. These texting masks create misunderstandings and weaken relationships, as emotion, intent and tone get lost.
Similarly, Nguyen said when communicating online, people often behave in ways they would not when interacting face to face.
“There’s a connection in eye-to-eye contact and seeing the person’s facial expressions and body language that tell you a lot that you can’t really get from text.”
“They just hide behind the screen,” Nguyen said. “They say [negative] stuff they don’t mean, or they say nice stuff, but they don’t mean it either.”
Although social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and X encourage communication, senior Lasmie Blidi said they can also damage relationships.
Blidi said constant texting and frequently checking social media can create trust issues in relationships.
“[A relationship] needs to be built on trust, not ‘let me check your phone’ or ‘let me see what you’re posting on Instagram,’” Blidi said.
Like Nguyen, Blidi said it is harder to connect on a deeper level online compared to in person.
“Saying something and typing something [are] two different things,” Blidi said. “You can type it, but [the recipient] won’t feel the emotion.”
Sophomore Ana Goncalves said since getting her first phone almost two years ago, she has become reliant on it to communicate with her friends.
Goncalves said one of the disadvantages of texting is that it is easy to misinterpret a text’s meaning.
“There’s a connection in eye-to-eye contact and seeing the person’s facial expressions and body language that tell you a lot that you can’t really get from text,” Goncalves said.
She said even when people are in company, their phones often take priority. As a result, Goncalves said she tries to avoid using her phone when she socializes with her friends.
When they continuously use their phones around her, Goncalves said she feels neglected.
“They’re more focused on what’s going on in their phone,” Goncalves said. “You really feel unimportant.”
Senior Mya Cruz said people should not blame phones and social media for friction in their relationships.
“If the person is doing something they’re not supposed to, then [that] could create trust issues,” Cruz said. “It depends on the friendship, not the phone.”
Cruz said digital communication can be beneficial in times of conflict when in-person communication feels strained.
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to say how I feel in real life,” Cruz said. “[Texting is] easier because it’s less stressful for me to communicate over the phone instead of in person.”
Cruz’s girlfriend is set to enlist in the U.S. Army in the spring. She said phones will become crucial to their communication.
“As much as I love writing her letters, seeing her face on FaceTime or hearing her voice would definitely be much more comforting,” Cruz said.
She said phones and social media enrich existing relationships and help build friendships.
“When people post the music they listen to or the activities they’ve been doing or… show places they’ve been to that month… it’s something that can give you some conversation topics,” Cruz said. “It can help you guys connect and find things you both love or find similarities in each other.”
Cruz said when considering the effects of phones on relationships, it is important to recognize the person behind the screen.
“Phones definitely bring a lot more benefits than negatives, but it mostly depends on each person that has a phone [and] whether they’ll use more of the positives or negatives,” said Cruz.
