By Patrick White
Since text messaging became a dominant mode of communication in the world, commentators have declared both that it is a great boon and a great detriment to society.
Proponents of texting claim it is great because it allows users to multitask and avoid phone calls.
While reading up on this, I concluded that in most phone calls, once everything important is discussed, the call turns into one participant wanting to hang up but unable to because the other caller brings up more things to talk about. Witnessing this in public, this conversation looks incredibly one-sided as one participant repeats ?yep? until forced to contribute to the conversation.?
The benefit of texting is that it eliminates the issue of time. Users can just type in their spiel and bounce it around to friends.
Detractors of texting point out that this harms people in a number of ways. One complaint is that people lose their ability to communicate with people face-to-face as they lack social skills from time spent communicating impersonally. In commercials and popular television nowadays, the typical teen is seen slouching in the middle of the room with their head bent over their mobile device of choice. They stick out like sore thumbs in comparison to the events happening around them.
Critics also say the popular form of typing used in texting is a problem. To form responses faster, society has developed a short hand where single letters represent words or words are shortened and spelled incorrectly. Speedy responses and monetary savviness are powerful incentives to compose messages ungrammatically.
But the real problem isn?t the grammatical aspect of cell phone slang or short hand. For those who take notes in class, it takes too long to take down everything word for word. To that end, many professors encourage writing in short hand so one can get the basic facts down and the class can move on. That hasn?t affected our ability to spell. With the amount of texting I do, I haven?t encountered problems with spelling more words wrong. In fact, I probably spell more words right from texting because I have to type them out correctly in order for the phone to properly guess what I?m saying using T9.
The real problem is nobody seems to be able to put the phone down.?Another issue is the incessant need people have to constantly answer their phones. With widespread cell coverage, we can receive text messages anywhere and anytime, naturally compelling us to answer them.?
In May, the New York Times?reported on a study by independent mobile analyst Chetan Sharma that suggests?that the rate of texting growth is evening out in the United States. The study also said texting is topping out at an average of about 700 messages per month per user. This average describes people who send much more than that but are counter-balanced by those who send out fewer. ?
However, the worst problem is texting and driving. According to Oprah Winfrey?s No Texting Campaign, a survey found that 71 percent of people aged 18 to 49 admit to texting or talking on the phone while driving ? which is even worse than drinking and driving. How exactly is it more dangerous than a substance that impairs ones cognitive functions??
Car and Driver Magazine did a red light test in an actual car, to test how long it would take for a driver while texting to notice a stop light. They then did the same for a drunk driver and an unimpaired driver. The results were that the unimpaired driver saw the light in time and stopped, the drunk driver missed the mark by four feet and drivers using a cell phone for email or texting took between 36 and 70 feet to stop. Which ultimately means?they ran the stoplight.
While it may get awkward when people have their cell phones out during face-to-face conversations, with the demands of the world, it would be difficult to completely disconnect yourself. And overall, I don?t think our social skills are harmed that much considering the fact that texting is socializing.?
However, the constant use of cell phones everywhere and anywhere can be annoying to those around you. We all hate it when someone gets their cell phone out in the theater or during class, and it is extremely dangerous when driving. So every now and then, please remember to turn off your cell phone.
Patrick White is a junior in journalism and mass communication. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.?
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