РHUBBING IN INTERPERSONAL INTERACTION OF YOUTH: A NEW SOCIAL NORM OR A THREAT TO RELATIONSHIPS?

Abstract

 The article analyzes the psychological essence of phubbing as one of the new phenomena of social behavior, identifies its main features, factors and consequences. The results of an empirical study of the features of interpersonal communication related to the use of modern information and communication technologies by young people, the degree of  spread of phubbing among students and the level of tolerance of young men and women to it.

Phubbing is seen as a ignoring partners in direct communication due to excessive use of smartphones. The main signs of phubbing are the frequent using of a smartphone by an individual during interpersonal interaction, inattention to the interlocutor, difficulty of concentrating on the subject of the conversation, immediate reaction   to the sound of messages on the smartphone, increased anxiety, irritation due to inability using the gadget. The main factors of phubbing are the presence of Internet addiction of the individual, fear of missing important information, difficulties in establishing interpersonal relationships, imitation of phubbing behavior of interlocutors, lack of self-control skills and others. The level of Internet addiction and phubbing increase technical progress in the field of information and communication technologies, current circumstances of society, values, attitudes and norms prevalent among young people.

Overall, more than 80% of the participants in the empirical study indicated the presence of phubbing markers in relationships with peers. 53.8% of respondents had conflict situations due to phubbing. 39.7% of students showed a tolerant attitude to phubbing. Pragmatic and individualistic orientation on interpersonal interaction prevails among students. Phubbing behavior is often inherited, so as its frequency in interpersonal contacts increases, attitudes toward it may change, affecting its acceptability and normativeness. The obtained results serve as a basis for studying the gender characteristics of phubbing and developing a program for the prevention of phubbing behavior among young people.

Keywords: phubbing, communication, interpersonal interaction, phubber, phubbee, internet addiction, phubbing behavior.