Kids are not learning to converse with people directly. Texting enables people to avoid face-to-face confrontation. The worst stories I have heard is someone being fired and dumped over a text message. One girl got fired over a text message, and since she didn’t have text messaging, she paid 40 cents to get fired. Please, find the appropriate time to communicate via text message.

This generation even has its own language. According to Forbes.com, “messaging isn’t just a new technology, it’s also a new language.” The only concern about this is that they are going to take it with them into the workplace. Using abbreviations, such as l8t, brb, and ttyl, are not going to be professionally accepted in the workplace. That is how they are learning to write and even talk.

My little sister, age 17, has full two hour conversations over text messaging. I thought texting was suppose to save time. The number of texts she sends out a day, and the amount of time she spends sending them is ridiculous. My mom learned to text because she found it was the best way to get a hold of my sister. It is a little scary. Kids are getting in trouble for texting during class. They think the teachers can’t see them, but when their head is down looking into their lap, it is pretty obvious. Since it has become such a popular thing, the teachers know by now. Phone bills have racked up hundreds of dollars due to texting. Most people have unlimited which is actually a good investment if it is your main way of commincating.

How is this affecting to the up and coming generation? The generation is expecting immediate responses. When you send a text message, you are expecting to receive a response within minutes. and most time you usually do. Cell phones are constantly glued to people’s hips, you would think it was a life-saving device. Of course, in some situations, it is. For example, if you are stranded on the side of the road. But, in most everyday cases, that is not why people are clinging to this portable piece of metal. People feel lost when they forget their phone at home. And I don’t think it is not because they are worried about being stranded on the freeway; it is the missed calls and text messages from friends they are going to miss.

I am not saying that texting is completely unnecessary, or that I don’t use it. Of course I do. I am among the second most popular age group range that texts, but it is about moderation. It is useful and there are advantages, but we have to draw the line somewhere; this can’t be our only form of articulation. Texting is okay for notes, but not for a conversation. I think it is still important to keep our verbal communication skills in tact. I just don’t want text messages to replace face-to-face contact with people.

You lose other communication techniques as well that are involved in a conversation: facial expressions and body language. A smily face icon is not the same as a real smile. Communication can be easily misinterpreted over test messaging. You can’t hear the person’s tone of voice in a text message, so the content may be construed by the receiver. Sometimes technology doesn’t work and a text message doesn’t get delivered, whereas then, the sender thinks the receiver is avoiding him/her. It can get very complicated, whereas a simple phone call would have avoided all misunderstanding. It is rude to be having a physical conversation with someone while the other person is having a conversation with someone else on the phone. It makes that person feel like they are not important enough, and again back to the point of not being able to form in-person relationships.

There are many pros of text messaging like if you are somewhere where you can’t hear the person on the phone, receiving an important notice,  if you have a quick question, sending someone a cute note, or if you can’t talk on the phone at that moment. Remember, it is about moderation; we don’t want technology to take over and become the face of all conversations.