Role of WhatsApp in interpersonal communication during minor disagreements amongst married couples

Abstract

In this study the researcher set out to explore the role of WhatsApp in interpersonal communication during minor disagreements amongst married couples. Studies of Louw and du Plooy-Cilliers (2014), Gutzmann (2018) and Brimhall, Miller, Maxwell and Alotaiby 2017) are the foundation that the researcher built the study on. he researcher used a qualitative study to conduct semi-structured interviews with married couples who fit the population parameters of the study to gain an in-depth understanding of the interpretation and perceptions of married couples about the role of WhatsApp in interpersonal communication during minor disagreement. The responses were transcribed by QDA Miner Lite which shows results that WhatsApp has both advantages and disadvantages towards minor disagreement. Interpretation and misunderstandings were mentioned quite often as main themes. The respondents value understanding in their communication with their partner and show that if the is misunderstanding in the messages being sent on WhatsApp then direct or face-to-face communication is preferred. Communication styles and Perception were identified as the themes that improves with the number of years a couple has been married, as the more years couples have been married the better their understanding of how their partner communicates and the viewpoints thereof. Destructive communication skills were evident by subthemes of withdrawal and avoidance amongst respondent’s communication on WhatsApp when a message is misunderstood or sarcastic. The overall results of this study show that WhatsApp as a communicative tool is useful when communicating about minor disagreement and when here is an understanding of communication styles within the marriage. But, due to the lack of expression on WhatsApp couples, if one does not understand the message then face-to-face communication is preferred.