A survey of New Yorkers deprived of residential telephone service for 23 days validates previous discursive research on the social role and psychological functions of the medium. Respondents who said they enjoyed and needed the telephone were found to feel isolated, uneasy, and less in control without it. While 33% used more media during the…

Seventeen adolescents from four rural high schools in upstate New York were interviewed while in the 12th grade and again a year later. Interviews focused on student perceptions of their community, school, and social life; values; and future plans. All participants graduated from high school, and most went on to college or moved to another…