The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than expected. Emerged from the research were themes that brought to light the personal and external factors that motivated students to unplug, unveiling the opportunity for families, schools, and public figures to educate students. The study also includes the student perspective about the complexities of relationships in the digital age, the major role of social media, opposing views on the impact of unplugging on community spaces, and students’ shared vision for the future.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than expected. Emerged from the research were themes that brought to light the personal and external factors that motivated students to unplug, unveiling the opportunity for families, schools, and public figures to educate students. The study also includes the student perspective about the complexities of relationships in the digital age, the major role of social media, opposing views on the impact of unplugging on community spaces, and students’ shared vision for the future.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Felipe, Jadelin P."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership (O&L)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Danfeng Koon","Genevieve Negron-Gonzales"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-08-19T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-08-19T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z","subjects":["cell phone","college student","undergraduate","smartphone","wellness","student affairs","Civic and Community Engagement","Communication Technology and New Media","Critical and Cultural Studies","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Educational Sociology","Higher Education","Higher Education and Teaching","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Mass Communication","Other Communication","Other Social and Behavioral Sciences","Other Sociology","Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies","School Psychology","Science and Technology Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social and Cultural Anthropology","Social Influence and Political Communication","Social Media","Social Psychology","Sociology of Culture","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/187","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Danfeng Koon","Genevieve Negron-Gonzales"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Felipe, Jadelin P."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-07-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership (O&L)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["cell phone","college student","undergraduate","smartphone","wellness","student affairs","Civic and Community Engagement","Communication Technology and New Media","Critical and Cultural Studies","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Educational Sociology","Higher Education","Higher Education and Teaching","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Mass Communication","Other Communication","Other Social and Behavioral Sciences","Other Sociology","Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies","School Psychology","Science and Technology Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social and Cultural Anthropology","Social Influence and Political Communication","Social Media","Social Psychology","Sociology of Culture","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/187"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than expected. Emerged from the research were themes that brought to light the personal and external factors that motivated students to unplug, unveiling the opportunity for families, schools, and public figures to educate students. The study also includes the student perspective about the complexities of relationships in the digital age, the major role of social media, opposing views on the impact of unplugging on community spaces, and students’ shared vision for the future.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["UNDERSTANDING HOW INTENTIONALLY UNPLUGGING FROM CELL PHONES SHAPES INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Danfeng Koon","Genevieve Negron-Gonzales"],"dc:creator":["Felipe, Jadelin P."],"dc:date.available":["2016-07-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than expected. Emerged from the research were themes that brought to light the personal and external factors that motivated students to unplug, unveiling the opportunity for families, schools, and public figures to educate students. The study also includes the student perspective about the complexities of relationships in the digital age, the major role of social media, opposing views on the impact of unplugging on community spaces, and students’ shared vision for the future.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/187"],"dc:subject":["cell phone","college student","undergraduate","smartphone","wellness","student affairs","Civic and Community Engagement","Communication Technology and New Media","Critical and Cultural Studies","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Educational Sociology","Higher Education","Higher Education and Teaching","Interpersonal and Small Group Communication","Mass Communication","Other Communication","Other Social and Behavioral Sciences","Other Sociology","Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies","School Psychology","Science and Technology Studies","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social and Cultural Anthropology","Social Influence and Political Communication","Social Media","Social Psychology","Sociology of Culture","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"dc:title":["UNDERSTANDING HOW INTENTIONALLY UNPLUGGING FROM CELL PHONES SHAPES INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership (O&L)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z"}