Friday, September 26, 2008
Text messaging: A nuisance to society?
Text messaging has become increasingly popular over the years. It's convenient, discreet, easy to do, and only takes a few seconds for your message to be sent. But has text messaging become such a staple in society that it's ruining our everyday relationships? What about the people who blatantly text while you're trying to talk to them face-to-face, is it more rude to ignore the person that's talking to you or texting you? Has texting taken the place of having regular conversations with people? Or is it helping relationships because it's so much easier to keep in touch by sending short messages? One major flaw with text messaging is that you can't necessarily determine the other person's emotions in what they write; a lot of messages can be taken out of context and create problems. Is texting while driving more distracting than playing with the radio or chatting with a passenger? Is it acceptable or dangerous? Do you think text messaging has benefited our society or hindered it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
California is passing a law that makes it illegal to text while you are driving. This should be a no-brainer. I know we've all done it--talked on the phone or sent a text while we are driving--but after I was rear-ended last year by a texting driver and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance, I realized the hard way how dangerous it is to use a phone in a car, and I stopped. It was one of those wake-up "calls" (pardon the pun) that make you realize you need to stop doing something dumb before you hurt someone.
As far as the rudeness factor is concerned, yes, I hate being interrupted by a text, especially when I'm talking to a student in my office and he or she says, "Hold on a sec," and checks the text. We are so addicted to instant gratification that we can't even wait five minutes to see who is texting us and what earth-shattering news is waiting for us on our phone (I say we because I am guilty of the very thing I am complaining about).
However, I am less concerned about someone texting in public than I am about someone talking on the phone really loudly as if he or she is the only person on the planet. I've heard WAY too many details abotu my students lives as they shout things into cell phones I don't want to know. Also, as I've mentioned in class on occasion, I think we are becoming too detached as a community. I think we would often much rather text the person next to us than turn around and strike up a conversation. My sister even had a man she was dating break up with her via text! Are you kidding me? What a coward! But that just illustrates another point: we often hide behind technology. A student will email me a late paper or an excuse for missing class but often won't tell me face-to-face as he or she should. I fear that we are losing social skills because we don't have meaningful conversations anymore. We just talk in bursts of random text.
I won't say anything about my students texting during class because I know that none of you is rude enough to even think about doing that.
OK CU L8R lol! :)
I totally agree with Daniel (even though I also am guilty of what I complain about), Why is it that the world stops as soon as your pocket rumbles?
I recently went on a date with a girl that would NOT put her cell phone away throughout the entire date. I think that even though we won't openly admit it, texting has taken the place of a lot of our basic conversations that we used to have face to face or via telephone a few years ago. What's the difference between texting another person while your on a date and dialing someone and having a quick chat? I don't see a big difference at all. In either situation text or talking your giving someone else, who isn't taking the time or effort to be with you, temporary priority over the person that did... Doesn't seem fair to me.
After that little excursion I try my best to remember to turn my phone off when it's not appropriate to have powered on.
I agree with both of you. i would hate if i was on a date and they were texting someone right in front of you.Even though i have never had it happen to me. What has happened to our social skills? or what about just calling someone? sometimes a phone call is a better alternative to a conversation.
As my friend was telling me yesterday, "there are some things you just can't say in a text that are better left for a phone call." Why can't you just pick up the phone to call a friend? have we become so shy and self absorbed that we can't talk to people face to face? I am guilty of doing this with my friends. is it fear or convenience that makes us do this? For me it's a combination of both. sometimes i want to talk to someone for a long time and i will totally call them. But if i want to call my mom at work a text is better because then i am not interupting a meeting she might be in.
a disadvantage to texting that has appeared in my life is that you can't understand the tone or context of the person texting so you might take something offensivley that was meant to be funny. I recently experiened that with a friend i was texting and my comment was about her boyfriend and she took offense to my funny comment. But if i had said it on the phone she would've picked up on the sarcasm.
Post a Comment