TEXTAPHRENIA: An Emerging Problem Among Filipino Youth in Manila

Running Head: TEXTAPHRENIA 1

TEXTAPHRENIA: An Emerging Problem Among Filipino Youth in Manila

Alora, Carmela Beatrice C.

Martin, Fritz Gerald G.

Panaligan, Marie Lester A.

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

Abstract Textaphrenia is characterized by hearing a tone, or feeling a vibration associated with a new incoming message when there is actually none. The purpose of this study is to determine the existence of Textaphrenia among the Filipino Youth in Manila and its corresponding correlation with gender, anxiety, mobile phone dependence, and certain mobile phone settings. A total of 400 participants aged fifteen (15) to twenty (20) were selected by convenience sampling, in which each gender was equally represented. A self-made survey questionnaire was given to the participants to assess their behaviour when it comes to the symptoms and their preference over certain items that may be the underlying construct for Textaphrenia. Results revealed that Textaphrenia exists but in a very minimal degree (Mean = 3.06, or 3). Furthermore, the symptoms of such condition bear a significant correlation with anxiety (r = 0.72, p < 0.05), mobile phone dependence (r = 0.32), and certain preferences over mobile phone setting such as: alert tone (r = 0.22); vibration (r = 0.23); alert tone and vibration (r = 0.29); maximum tone level (r = 0.11); minimum tone level (r = 0.15); immediate replies (r = 0.23); short tone (r = 0.16); group messages (r = 0.24); personal messages (r = 0.13). No significant relationship exists between its symptoms and silent mode setting (r = 0.02). Male and Female has no significant difference with its symptoms (p = 0.41, p > 0.05). Results suggest that Textaphrenia could be an issue that is still in its young phase. Recommendations include greater number of respondents and the development of a better instrument to measure the existence of Textaphrenia.

TEXTAPHRENIA 2

TEXTAPHRENIA: An Emerging Problem among Filipino Youth in Manila

Being able to send and receive Short Message Service, or SMS, is considered to be a part

of our lives nowadays. This, in general, is recognized as a harmless activity. Too much use of

SMS could lead to a new dysfunction called ‘Textaphrenia’. It is characterized by hearing a tone,

or feeling a vibration associated with a new incoming message when there is actually none. If

experienced too often, it can further lead to anxiety and other related negative emotions.

The term was derived from the combination of ‘Text’, apparently because of its

association with Text Messaging, and ‘-phrenia’ because it is a disordered condition of mental

function (Merriam Webster’s Dictionary). Jennie Carroll, the person who coined the term, is a

technology researcher from RMIT University in Melbourne and has studied of the effects of

modern communication since 2001 and said the mobile phone had become meshed into

teenagers' lives. The particular age group most vulnerable in this dysfunction is the youth

primarily because they socialize more with other people other than their family, and the most

accessible way to do this is through text messaging.

The first countries that took notice of this dysfunction were India and Australia. To

further study this phenomenon, the researchers would like to know if it also applies in the

Philippine setting.

According to Ipsos Media Atlas Philippines, “The Philippines remains the SMS Capital

of the World”. This is due to the fact that the Philippines alone sends on the average 400 million

text messages a day or approximately 142 billion text messages sent a year. Also, experts

estimate 77% of the world's population owns a mobile phone, 6.1 trillion text messages were sent

worldwide in 2010, equivalent to 200,000 text messages every second. (MobiThinking, 2011).

TEXTAPHRENIA 3

On this context, the researchers got the inspiration of doing this study because many people are

addicted to text messaging, especially the Filipino youth. This addiction may be associated with

other factors such as anxiety and stress. If not given proper attention, prolonged anxiety may

cause depression. Being part of the Filipino youth, the researchers decided to start a study

regarding this topic because they are the direct benefactors and that no one would better

understand such behaviour other than the one experiencing it. Therefore, this may bring about

the concept of Textaphrenia.

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Text Messaging made a giant leap on how we communicate with other people. Way back

before cellular phones were invented, people communicate through sending and receiving

handwritten mail messages, and it usually takes a long time before one is able to receive such

message. However, mankind made a small pace when Telephones were invented. They

experienced hearing the voices of their loved ones through a device for the first time. Long

distance communication was made more convenient. Because telephones were not widely

available, it cannot be taken anywhere - a reason why communication is hindered. To address

this problem, the invention of cellular phones made it a lot easier for humans to stay in touch

with the people they know. Almost every person has a cellular phone (or most commonly known

as cellphone) which is made in a smaller size making it easier for people to bring. There are

various ways in which cellphones can be useful for communication: Calling a person’s mobile

number; accessing social networking sites and see if the person is online; the use of Instant

Messaging such as Yahoo! Messenger, BlackBerry Messenger, and Skype, and many other ways,

TEXTAPHRENIA 4

but the cheapest and the most preferred way to communicate using cellphones is what we call

Short Message Service, or SMS.

One of the aforementioned reasons why people use SMS to communicate is because it is

cheap. An SMS costs one peso, and various promotions are widely available that make users

maximize the usage of text messaging, unlimited texting is one. If a person needs to send more

SMS than he or she is supposed to, then being subscribed to unlimited texting can be a way to

address financial issues. These gadgets are appropriate for maximized usage; they are made for

such after all, but the problem is addiction is what this kind of activity brings to people.

Many teenagers are getting addicted to text messaging nowadays. Studies by the Press

Trust of India show that nearly 47 per cent females and 39 per cent males accepted that their text

messaging habit hit their daily routine in some way. Around 60 per cent of the youth feel that the

habit was even affecting their studies. A related study done in 269 Taiwanese female students

showed that factors such as social extraversion and anxiety have positive effects on addiction

with sending messages with the use of a mobile phone, while self-esteem has negative effects.

Additional survey and studies were made by Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical

College (MGMMC) on 150 youths aged between 18 and 25 years. Results include that those who

are very much fond of using Short Message Service (SMS) developed uneasiness, anger and

even adding up that 40 per cent females and 45 per cent males admitted that they did not enjoy

sound sleep. (Source: Press Trust of India)

The Head of the Department at the MGMMG Community Medicine, Dr. Sanjay Dixit,

once noted that “The youth, in the habit of texting SMS, were falling prey to depression and

TEXTAPHRENIA 5

fear.” The supporting survey for this is that if there is no reply to the SMS, 55 per cent youths get

upset, while 32 per cent feel dejected, presuming that no one wanted to be in their contact.

Around 93 per cent turn anxious after they do not get a reply to their SMS for a long time. It

further notes that nearly 41 per cent keep checking their mobile phone handsets for reply after

texting their SMS and this anxiousness is called ‘Textiety’. (Source: Press Trust of India)

An experiment entitled “To text or not to text? The Importance of Text Messaging

Among College-Aged Youth” that was done by Dorothy Skierkowski shows how adolescents,

particularly college students, perceive text messaging. Even though communication now comes

in different forms such as Social Networking Sites (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) and Instant

Messaging, the study confirms that the youth would still prefer using text messaging as a way of

conversing with peers. They use e-mails in communicating, but only with authorities and other

formal personalities. Text messaging was more preferred rather than talking with friends over a

cellular phone. This preference is influenced by many factors such as convenience, affordability,

how fast texting can relay information, and independence from parental supervision. (Conti-

Ramsden, Durkin, & Simkin, 2010). Use of SMS through mobile phones is considered as the

easiest way to be in touch with friends. People, especially the youth, find it very convenient that

they become too dependent of it.

Another topic that was discussed in this study is about the difference between the

behavior of Adolescents and Adults towards Text Messaging. A lot of changes have already

happened in the different ways of communication. Not everyone can fully understand and cope

up with these technological advances that continue to take place. The youth appreciates these

changes more because these modifications are made in such a way that young minds will

TEXTAPHRENIA 6

understand them better, and since these adjustments happened, the youth gained easy knowledge

about it, making these things less complicated for the younger ones. The adults, on the other

hand, can be idle about such changes. Not all of them are embraces the idea of having new ways

to communicate with others, and not every adult is comfortable with the idea of exploring what

these modifications are about, maybe because they feel fine with their old ways of doing things

and something new would complicate things for them. They may be using gadgets brought by

these changes, but they are not as interested as the adolescents to maximize the use of these new

devices because this is not the way they did not grow up with such advancements. This can be a

reason why the youth of today are the more eager ones to discover what the future benefits can

still be.

It may have tackled different things about the youth and how they are relevant to sending

text messages, but the main focus of this study by Skierkowski is to determine the anxieties

present in college students who were restricted to send text messages for a span of three days.

The adolescents were grouped into two: the high and low text users. It was not mentioned how

the two groups were classified, but the results showed that high text users were more anxious

about being prohibited to send messages. They could feel the absence of text messaging in their

daily routine more than the low text users because sending SMS using mobile phones is part of

their daily routines. Because of being instructed not to send any SMS within the time of the

study, they can feel that there is something lacking in their practice. Those individuals who took

part in this experiment were also asked to explain the things that could make them disobey the

instructions given to them. One factor was the day on a week they were on. The students feel the

urge of sending messages more during weekends because it is in those days in a week when they

commonly hang out with friends. They schedule their gimmicks and other fun doings starting

TEXTAPHRENIA 7

Fridays until Sundays and are updated with whatever activity they will be participating to

through text messaging. The adolescents were anxious because they will not be informed with

whatever activity will take place within their peer groups and that they are sure to miss

something if they cannot send text messages to their friends. It is in these days in a week when

people on this age bracket are more glued to their mobile phones.

Sending SMS through mobile phones serve as an important factor in strengthening bonds

between people nowadays. Van Cleemput (2010) developed a hierarchy that determines the

strength of an individual’s social network status. In this model, individuals who have weaker ties

with other people prefer face-to-face interactions, while those who maintain stronger bonds with

others, especially with peers, use text messaging for strengthening the bonds between them.

Aside from helping strengthen relationships between people, sending messages through

cellular phones can also enhance the feeling of belongingness. Walsh, White, and Young (2009)

made an approach to understand the usual motives of Australian youth in text messaging. For the

young people, frequent communication through texting develops the feeling of

interconnectedness. Those who receive more SMS from friends feel more accepted and valued;

some even feel popular making them more confident of themselves. Receiving information

through SMS can make a person feel that he or she is appreciated in a particular group where he

or she belongs, and that his or her presence is appreciated. This way of being treated by other

people leads to better self-esteem, which affects an adolescent’s growth positively. Also, it has

been a norm nowadays that an individual converses with the use of mobile phones. Those

individuals who choose not to conform in this are usually ostracized in different social groups.

Text Messaging is an important way of relating one’s self to other and it is a way of enhancing a

TEXTAPHRENIA 8

person’s self-confidence. It leads to formation of a social identity that a person can be confident

of, and is accepted in a society.

Another related study by Drouin and Landgraff (2011) on Texting and its Attachment

with College Students’ Romantic Relationships, results showed that texting is quite more

common on people with relationships, and that it is more common to those with secure

relationships. This might be true because people tend to wait for the response of their loved ones

more often than not because they are more committed to the person than anybody else. They

might be one of the momentously affected due to the fact that they might expect the person to

reply fast and if they do, it might reflect that the person is serious in their relationship. This

expectation might contribute more to the development of Textaphrenia on a particular person.

Statement of the Problem

The study attempts to address the following problems:

1. Does ‘Textaphrenia’ really exist?

1.1 Does it exist in Manila?

2. Is there a relationship between the symptoms of ‘Textaphrenia’, Anxiety, and Mobile

Dependence on Gender?

3. Are the symptoms related with other variables?

3.1 Do the preferences of a person on mobile setting can contribute for having the

symptoms of ‘Textaphrenia’?

3.2 Is there a correlation between the symptoms and anxiety?

3.3 Does the dependency of a person on cellular phones can be a factor for

acquiring the symptoms of ‘Textaphrenia’?

TEXTAPHRENIA 9

Conceptual Framework

TEXTAPHRENIA 10

Method

This includes the research design used, the participants involved, the instruments used,

the process of data gathering method and the procedure in data analysis.

Research Design

This study utilized the Descriptive-Correlational method. Descriptive method defines the

nature of an object. This process of research goes beyond mere gathering and tabulation of data

because it involves the elements of interpretations and the significance of what is described.

Thus, description often involves measurements, classifications, interpretation and evaluation.

Correlational method is another procedure used in this study. The researchers used this

strategy because they wanted to determine the relationship that exists within the variables

specifically: gender, anxiety, mobile phone dependency, and preference on mobile phone

settings. It is also an intention to the researchers to know the strength of the existing

relationships, whether positive or negative.

Instruments

Self-Made Survey Questionnaire. In preparing the survey questionnaire, the researchers

reviewed several readings and revisions from online resources as bases of the concepts to be

tested relative to the study. The researchers then formulated a pool of items answerable by a 6-

point Likert scale. The instrument was then validated by different professionals for its face and

content validity (See APPENDIX A). Before conducting the actual survey, the researchers

arranged a pilot test that was accomplished by 50 participants. The item analysis and reliability

was based on the results of the pilot test. The first value of the Cronbach Alpha was 0.66 with an

Inter-Item Correlation of 0.098. Because some items tend to confuse the sample respondents, the

researchers removed some from the questionnaire. The Cronbach Alpha value then increased to

TEXTAPHRENIA 11

0.75 with an Inter-Item Correlation of 0.158; this was when the actual data-gathering procedure

began. The researchers used the typical printed-out copy of the questionnaire (See APPENDIX

B), and also prepared an online survey which was given to the respondents over the internet (See

APPENDIX C).

Participants

The study was accomplished in the city of Manila. The participants in this study belong

to the age group of 15 – 20 years of age that encompasses the youth.

In identifying the included participants, the researchers used non-probability convenience

sampling because of the availability of the respondents. There were four hundred (400)

respondents. TABLE 1 presents the distribution of the respondents.

Table 1

Frequency and Percentage of the Participants

AGE MALE PERCENTAGE FEMALE PERCENTAGE

15 46 23% 60 30%

16 39 19.5% 59 29.5%

17 53 26.5% 54 27%

18 47 23.5% 17 8.5%

19 5 2.5% 5 2.5%

20 10 5% 5 2.5%

TOTAL 200 100% 200 100%

TEXTAPHRENIA 12

Data Gathering Procedure

Prior to the administration of the survey, the researchers first sought permission from the

authors’ mentor in Methods of Research I in Psychology as a matter of courtesy. Upon the

approval of the request, the researchers personally oriented the participants with regard on how

they will answer the self-made survey questionnaire. The participants were given the

questionnaire and allotted sufficient time to fill out. The questionnaires were retrieved, tallied,

tabulated and interpreted.

Results

This section presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered. The presentation follows

the sequence of the problem posed in the first part.

Table 2

Mean and Standard Deviation for the Existence of Textaphrenia

VARIABLES MEAN STANDARD DEVIATION

Symptoms 3.064 1.356

The mean of the responses obtained in Questions 7 and 15 is 3.06, or 3, in which in the

Self-Made Survey Questionnaire, 3 pertains to “Somewhat Agree”. This mean satisfies the first

aforementioned problem; it implies that Textaphrenia exists among Filipino Youth in Manila but

in a minimal degree.

TEXTAPHRENIA 13

Table 3

Analysis of Variances of Symptoms, Anxiety and Mobile Dependence on Gender

VARIABLES SS model df F p

Symptoms 1.266 398 0.686 0.408*

Anxiety 3.062 398 2.018 0.156*

Mobile Dependency 1.247 398 1.104 0.294*

Note: * p > 0.05; ** p < 0.05

Based on the results obtained from the Analysis of Variances, there is no significant

difference between Male and Female respondents when it comes to: Experiencing the symptoms

of Textaphrenia (p = 0.408, p > 0.05), Anxiety (p = 0.156, p > 0.05), and Mobile Dependency (p

= 0.294, p > 0.05).

Table 4

Correlation Between Symptoms of Textaphrenia and Other Variables

Note: *significant at p<0.05

Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

1. Symptoms 3.064

1.356

2. Anxiety 2.688 1.063 0.721*

3. Mobile Dependency 2.729 1.233 0.322* 0.438*

Preferences for Mobile Phone Settings

4. Alert Tone 3.058 1.600 0.222* 0.179* 0.064

5. Vibration 2.715

1.700 0.229* 0.205* 0.109* 0.094

6. Alert Tone and Vibration

3.530

1.576 0.290* 0.292* 0.074 0.440* 0.448*

7. Maximum Level Tone

3.795

1.693 0.113* 0.138* 0.097 0.489* 0.052 0.386*

8. Minimum Level Tone

3.015

1.608 0.164* 0.163* 0.086 0.405* 0.167* 0.292* 0.269*

9. Immediate Replies

1.855

1.114 0.228* 0.551* 0.327* 0.076 0.039 0.142* 0.102* 0.104*

10. Short Alert Tone 2.688 1.577 0.155* 0.196* 0.101* 0.120* 0.175* 0.173* -0.039 0.143* 0.080

11. Silent Mode 2.603 1.625 0.019 0.057 0.067 -0.320* -0.047 -0.167* -0.252* -0.166* 0.090 0.207*

12. Group Messages 2.915 1.687 0.242* 0.350* 0.370* -0.004 0.008 0.085 0.053 -0.076 0.265* 0.037 0.179*

13. Personal Messages

1.825 1.139 0.129* 0.238* 0.162* 0.014 0.078 0.027 -0.028 0.140* 0.310* 0.027 0.125* 0.094

TEXTAPHRENIA 14

Table 4 shows different significant correlation values of Textaphrenia Symptoms,

Anxiety, Mobile Dependence and items under Mobile Phone Setting Preferences. Significant

correlations were found when the Symptoms of Textaphrenia were correlated with Anxiety, with

a p-value of 0.72, and with Mobile Dependency, with a p-value of 0.32. When these symptoms

were correlated with the specific Mobile Phone Setting preferences, results show that it has

significant correlations with having an Alert Tone (p = 0.22), with Vibration on (p = 0.22), with

both Alert Tone and Vibration (p = 0.29), with having an Alert Tone at a Maximum Level (p =

0.11), with having an Alert Tone set on a Minimum Level (p = 0.16).

Furthermore, results from the table suggest that the symptoms of Textaphrenia have

significant correlations with other preference on mobile phone setting such as: Immediate

replies, with a correlation of 0.23; short alert tone, with a correlation of 0.16; group messaging

and personal messaging, with corresponding values of 0.24 and 0.13, respectively. However, the

value obtained from correlating the symptoms of Textaphrenia to when the mobile phone is

preferred to be in Silent Mode (No Tone and Vibration) bears no significant correlation at 0.02.

Table 5

Regression Summary Between Symptoms of Textaphrenia and Other Predictors

Variables b Std err of b p value R R2

1. Anxiety .564 .027 .000* .721 .519 2. Mobile Dependence .292 .043 .000* .322 .101 Preference for Mobile Settings

3. Alert Tone .261 .057 .000* .222 .469 4. Vibration .286 .061 .000* .229 .050 5. Alert Tone and Vibration .336 .055 .000* .290 .082 6. Maximum Level Tone .141 .062 .023* .113 .010 7. Minimum Level Tone .184 .059 .001* .155 .022 8. Immediate Replies .187 .040 .000* .228 .050 9. Short Alert Tone .190 .574 .001* .164 .024 10. Silent Mode .022 .060 .000 .019 .002 11. Group Messages .301 .060 .000* .242 .056 12. Personal Messages .108 .042 .009* .129 .014

Note: *significant at p<0.05

TEXTAPHRENIA 15

Table 5 shows different significant correlation values of Textaphrenia Symptoms,

Anxiety, Mobile Dependence and items under Mobile Phone Setting Preferences.

When Anxiety was correlated with Symptoms of Textaphrenia, significant correlations

were found at r = 0.721, along with r2 = 0.519, p < 0.05. This means that Anxiety predicts

Textaphrenia at a level of 72%.

r = 0.322 and r2 = 0.101, p < 0.05 were the values obtained when the Symptoms were

correlated with Mobile Dependency, showing a significant correlation between the two. Mobile

Dependency determines Textaphrenia at 32%.

The first item under Mobile Phone Setting preference pertains to having an Alert Tone.

When correlated with Symptoms of Textaphrenia, it gave an r value of 0.222 and r2 = 0.469, p <

0.05 showing that there are significant correlations with these two. This makes up 22%

prediction of Textaphrenia.

Next item on the specific Mobile Phone preferences was setting the Vibration having an r

value of 0.229 and r2 of 0.050, p < 0.05 when correlated with Symptoms of Textaphrenia that

show significant correlations. Relative to Vibration, it determines Textaphrenia at a level of 23%.

Third item under specific Mobile Phone preferences is having both an Alert Tone and

setting the Vibration on. It was correlated with the Symptoms of Textaphrenia and the r value

obtained was 0.290, and r2 = 0.082, p < 0.05 showing that there is a significant correlation.

Preference of both an Alert Tone and Vibration determines Textaphrenia at 29%.

Another item is having an Alert Tone on a Maximum Level. When this item was

correlated with the Symptoms of Textaphrenia, r = 113 and r2 = 0.010, p < 0.05 were obtained

which shows significant correlation. Maximum Level tone predicts Textaphrenia by 11%.

TEXTAPHRENIA 16

The preference of having an Alert Tone set on a Minimum Level is the next item under

specific Preferences on Mobile Phone Setting. When correlated with Symptoms of Textaphrenia,

0.155 was the value gathered for r and 0.022 for r2, p < 0.05, showing significant correlations.

Prediction of Textaphrenia by this item is at 16%.

Immediate replies was then correlated with the Symptoms of Textaphrenia, with a value

of r = 228 and r2 = 0.050, p < 0.05. This determined that having immediate replies from the

person texted have 23% relationship with the symptoms.

r = 0.164 and r2 = 0.024, p < 0.05 were the values obtained when the Symptoms were

correlated with Short Alert Tone, showing a significant correlation between the two. Short Alert

Tone determines Textaphrenia at 16%.

Conversely, Silent Mode has no significant correlation with the Symptoms of

Textaphrenia with a value of r = 0.019 and r2 = 0.002, p < 0.05.

The last two items include Sending Group and Personal Messages. These items were then

correlated with the Symptoms of Textaphrenia; r = 0.242 and r2 = 0.056, p < 0.05 were for Group

Messages, and; r = 0.129 and r2 = 0.014, p < 0.05 were for Personal Messages. This shows a

significant correlation and predicts Textaphrenia by 24% and 13% degree, respectively.

Discussion

From the results, there was no significant correlation with gender. This shows that both

males and females can have Textaphrenia. Anyone who depends on mobile phones too much can

posses this dysfunction, regardless of what the gender is. It was also shown that anxiety has a

significant correlation with Textaphrenia. Those people who are considered to have this

dysfunction are more likely to experience anxiety because of being expectant to a response from

the person texted. They tend to feel anxious whenever their messages are not answered, most

TEXTAPHRENIA 17

especially if the person contacted is of important value. People who are too reliant of their

mobile phones have more tendencies of acquiring Textaphrenia because these individuals use

their phones on an excessive manner that they experience a lack in their routine if they are not

texting, and that is why they check their devices for messages more often than necessary.

Certain mobile phone setting preferences are found from those people who are regarded

to have Textaphrenia. Most people experiencing this dysfunction prefer to have a message alert

tone for every incoming message that they will receive. It has been found that having a shorter

message alert tone tends to lead to Textaphrenia more than having a tone that has longer

duration. Shorter tones can be progressed by the mind easier than the longer ones because of the

smaller duration. Another preference is setting the vibration on for incoming messages. People

considered having Textaphrenia are not only hearing imaginary tones but also feeling imaginary

vibrations. This can be because they are already conditioned that for every message they will

receive, it comes with vibration. Because people with Textaphrenia are over users of mobile

phones, they tend to assume that after sending their message, they will feel vibration after a

certain span of time, thinking that the person texted sent a response already.

Those individuals who prefer not to have a tone, a vibration or both have less tendencies

of experiencing Textaphrenia. These people are not fond of maximizing their cellular phones’

usage, having no difference whether they receive SMS or not. Lastly, those people who send

more group messages than personal ones have more chances of having this dysfunction. A

reason can be because they have contacted more people, they are also expecting more responses

than those who send personal messages to only one recipient.

Based from data gathered from all the accomplished questionnaires, it has been

concluded that Textaphrenia, or the state of hearing a tone or feeling a vibration associated with

TEXTAPHRENIA 18

incoming text messages when there is actually none, is existing within the Philippines, most

especially in the Filipino Youth. What has been gathered from this study is similar to those that

were formerly done by other countries. People from similar age brackets are affected with the

dysfunction and same symptoms were also used to determine the existence of Textaphrenia.

It may have been found to be present within young individuals in the Philippines, but the good

part is that this dysfunction is not to be considered as a grave problem yet. Fortunately, there has

been no serious case of Textaphrenia among the respondents. If this applies to the whole country,

then there is no immediate action needed, as of now.

Recommendation

This study can produce more significant results if the number of respondents available is

greater than that of the actual number of people who participated in this study. For future similar

studies, the researchers recommend to use a better instrument that would be able to quantify the

existence of Textaphrenia. It would be of great help if this dysfunction will be classified to have

different degrees of existence within an individual.

Studies in the future can also focus to the specific ages of the youth so that it would be

classified if who among the age bracket are more prone to experiencing Textaphrenia.

Comparisons shall be provided why the younger or the older ones have more tendencies of

acquiring the dysfunction.

Future conductors of this study shall also be clear in giving brief explanations on what

the topic is all about before having the subjects answer the questionnaire that would aim to

measure the existence of Textaphrenia.

TEXTAPHRENIA 19

References

Butt, S. Personality and Self Reported Mobile Phone Use Psychology Department, Monash University, Australia

Drouin, M. (2011) Texting, Sexting, and Attachment in College Students’ Romantic

Relationships. Elsevier Faulkner, X. (2004). When Fingers do the talking: A Study of Text Messaging. FED: Disorder link with teenage texting. (2010, June 30) AAP General News Fenech, S. (2010). Teenagers are becoming text addicts facing mental and physical issues. The

Daily Telegraph Press Trust of India, http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/1023_monster.pdf Skierkowski, D. (2011) To Text or not to Text? The Importance of Text Messaging among

College-Aged Youth http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.11.023 http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/business/top-business-news/22561-philippines-remains

texting-capital-of-the-world--study