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Point of View: Texts changing communication, build relationships

Nov. 6, 2009

By Megan Duron

It is pretty much impossible to sit through any class and not hear about seven phones vibrating at one time or someone's phone beep with a new message because he or she forgot to turn their phone on silent. We all do it. Text messaging is fun, it's easy, it's exciting. However, has it changed the way we communicate versus a time prior to text messaging (yes, that time did exist)?

For those unfamiliar with text messaging, more commonly referred to as texting, I took the liberty of doing a touch of research to help you out. According to Urbandictionary.com, texting has a few definitions. One definition explains texting as "an invention that allows people, usually in their teenage years, to talk to more than one of their 'friends' at once."

Another definition from the Web site said texting is "the reason kids don't learn as much at school ... except maybe a better way of not getting caught using your phone." Probably the most explanatory definition of texting is "the easiest way for you to ignore someone that you don't want to talk to ... as opposed to refusing their phone calls."

Texting has become the universal means of communication, especially for our generation. American teens sent and received about 2,272 text messages every month during the end of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company. How much easier is it to text someone and not have to bother with actual conversation?

During our grandparents' time, it was the home phone. During our middle school time it was the instant message. During our high school years, it was actual conversation via cell phones. Now, it's all given way to the text message.

While I am an avid texter myself, I believe there are drawbacks to sending a text message instead of making a phone call. For example, it is impossible to express any emotion through a text message.

Aside from the actual words in the text, there is no way to tell the tone in which a person is speaking. There is something to be said for face-to-face or even phone conversations that has no text messaging equivalent.

Another annoyance of texting happens when you try to have an actual conversation with someone who won't stop clicking away on their phone instead of engaging in the current conversation. It's easy to get engrossed in a texting conversation, but as a society we have thrown face-to-face conversation to the backburner and are often too caught up in our other 500 text conversations going on.

Texting has also developed into a sort of shield from the outside world. While walking to class it is so much easier to text message someone than have to worry about bumping into someone you know walking to their class and having to, heaven forbid, speak words.

I'm just as guilty as the next person. I'll text till the cows come home if I don't feel like talking to someone while walking across campus. But I also believe that text messaging is destroying our social skills, allowing us to hide behind text instead of having to engage in someone else and have a real conversation.

Am I saying I'm opposed to text messaging? Absolutely not, I encourage it. I do feel like there are certain considerations that should be taken while texting. Don't ignore the person you're talking to who is sitting across from you and don't overact to a text message without understanding the tone in which it is intended. Understand that text messages are not a decent replacement for actual conversation, and be wise in what you say via text. With these things considered, I believe we can all use texting for good and not evil.

Megan Duron is a senior journalism major from Flower Mound and a Lariat copy editor.

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