Abstract:

Living in a new environment has provoked a series of challenges for adults in the field of using their written skills. The notion of texting used in many applications existing on the market has helped students to demonstrate their way of thinking in a new form, that of a smartphone. Contradictions have existed in the effect of texting by hand and on screen, a matter which has been labeled as a top priority for researchers. In a rapidly changing world where forms of communication are rapidly changing and developing, this research attempted to delve into the relationship between smartphones, texting, the amount of time that people spend on using applications, and the differences produced in how they affect people’s communication and handwriting. Participants were 316 adults, aged from 18 to 57 years old, who selected through convenient sampling. They took part voluntarily in the specific research in which a set of questions regarding their preferences and the time spent on social media was given. They were also asked to write two answers regarding their feelings during the quarantine in handwriting and electronically. All possible precautions were taken to avoid biased answers to the questions given to the participants (anonymity, different order of media writing). All these elements had a common parameter; the quarantine which was imposed on the Greek state due to COVID-19 in spring 2020. In a nutshell, the results have shown that both genders' performance in handwriting was significantly better than in texting.

Keywords:

Communication, Texting, Handwriting, COVID-19.