The study sought to determine the impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) such as private messaging and social networking sites are related to collegiate drinking (Jensen, Hussong " Baik, 2018). The sample of the study was focused on the Korean and U.S college students. The findings revealed that the private text messaging was more popular in driving alcohol use compared to social networking sites, especially among the Korean college students. The fundamental motivation towards the preference of private messaging is inspired by the need of the students to avoid any damaging consequences if their alcohol use is shared publicly
The clear purpose of the article
The author has a clear goal for the article. The research objective is clearly outlined from the beginning which is to determine the impact of computer-mediated communication concerning alcohol use among college students in Korea and U.S (Jensen, Hussong " Baik, 2018).
Purpose accomplished
The purpose of the research was performed by analysing research reports in the U.S and Korea relating to their use of computer-mediated communication and alcohol use. Through descriptive statistics, the data were examined to determine the correlation between the use of the different modes of communication and their impact on alcohol use.
Presentation of Compelling evidence
The author anchored the research on historical, scientific research that was conducted both in the United States and in Korea. The U.S sample focused on the study which was attended by South-eastern University which focused on 840 students between the age of 18-23(Jensen, Hussong " Baik, 2018). Out of the 840 students, the author derived the analytical sample of 575 students (Jensen, Hussong " Baik, 2018). The Korean sample was obtained from 6 colleges at the National University which is in southwest Korea. Out of the 552 students, the author selected a sample of 462 students (Jensen, Hussong " Baik, 2018).
Gaps in the article
There are environmental differences between the Korean and U.S sample which could have distorted the data analysis and hence might put the findings in question. Moreover, the study did not capture some of the offline ecologies such as the fact that most of the U.S students live with peers while the Korean students live with their parents. The study relied heavily on the historical reports on computer-mediated communication as opposed to the data collected directly either through interviews or questionnaires. The study is mainly cross-sectional and is primarily focused on the computer-mediated communication as the key driver for alcohol use and didn't capture other critical drivers behind alcohol use.
Presentation of information
The author presented the report in a logical and structured way. Moreover, the use of topics ensured that the article was easy to follow by the readers making it more coherent. The use of tables also made the article more appealing as there was a break of monotony from using texts throughout.
Is the world a better place?
The article addresses one of the challenges which college students face and that is the abuse of alcohol. Some of the college students fail to get the best grades and succeed because of being addicted to alcohol, and they end up dropping out of college. Thus, through the findings of the article, the stakeholders in the college education system such as parents, the lecturers and even the students will be sensitised on how to be responsible and not to use the computer-mediated communication to promote alcohol use, hence making the world a better place.
The relationship between the article and the real-world
We are living in a world where the use of technology transcends our social interactions and has influenced our social interactions. The findings of the author reveal that college students are using text messages and social network sites to promote the use of alcohol which is a real problem that the college students are facing. Thus, through the findings, the different stakeholders can intervene and work towards a solution.
References
Jensen, M., Hussong, A., " Baik, J. (2018). Text Messaging and Social Network Site Use to Facilitate Alcohol Involvement: A Comparison of U.S and Korean College Students. Cyber Psychology, Behavior And Social Networking, 21(5), 1-7. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2017.0616
