E-Rhythms Project

Mobile phones connect us to friends, family, workmates, and other important people in our lives. However, there is continued concern among the public and experts that they are also hurting these same relationships. The role that mobile phones play in relationships is difficult to study because we often can’t remember how we use our mobile phones in much detail. Can you remember who you called in the last month, how many times you called them, and when these calls took place? Most people simply can’t remember this type of information. Yet, without this information, it is very hard to have a clear and nuanced understanding of how mobile phone influence our relationships.

The E-Rhythms Project is among the first of its kind to use this mobile app to help researchers get a more accurate understanding of our communication patterns. Our research team at the University of Toronto designed this app to help us better understand how calling and texting patterns change over time with different types of relationships. The app also administers a survey that helps us understand how work and family lives influence calling and texting with different kinds of relationships. All of this is done without collecting any names, phone numbers, pictures, message content, or other sensitive and identifying information. This personal and sensitive information never leaves your phone.

This study will help us address these important questions:

- How do relationships with family, friends, and workmates change with mobile phone use?

- How are mobile phones used with other communication media to maintain relationships?

- To what extent are Canadians using mobile phones to develop and maintain supportive relationships?

- How are mobile phones and social media used to learn about social and political issues?

The E-Rhythms Project is directed by Dr. Jeffrey Boase, who is faculty at the University of Toronto. Collaborators are based at the City University of Hong Kong, Boston University, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.