Digital Transformation and Interpersonal Communication among College Students in the Contemporary Media Environment

Abstract

The high rate of development of digital technologies has greatly changed the manner in which interpersonal communication is done between college students affecting how they interact, collaborate, and sustain relationships. The main objective of the study was to explore the influence of digital transformation on interpersonal communication in the modern media landscape. Convenience sampling was performed using a structured questionnaire with 599 undergraduate and postgraduate students after a driven cross-sectional survey with the help of Google Forms. In SPSS Version 26, the study analysed the data with descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that the students were highly digital and satisfied with communication via smartphones and social media platforms, showing that they use them extensively in their daily communication. Nonetheless, enhanced digital interaction was linked to decreased offline communication, which showed a change towards blended communication practices. The use of social media proved to be an important predictor of interpersonal communication behaviour. The research findings then conclude that although digital media improves the effectiveness and accessibility of communication, educational institutions need to promote a balanced communication behavior by means of digital literacy programs, communication skills and responsibility in the use of technology in order to reinforce meaningful interpersonal relationships.