Text messaging is essential when you have teenagers, sometimes it's the only form of communication in our house. I can confirm what the NYT article states "Many teenagers prefer them to actually talking." I have had my woes with my own personal cell phone and right now I do not have a working cell phone despite a $178.00 monthly bill. When we text we don't use lingo but we do use abbreviations so we don't exceed text length and for ease of typing, though the girls have a full keyboard on their phones, I do not and it's much easier to type r instead of are. When texting you lose some key parts of the communication process, including body language, facial expressions, eye contact, voice quality, emotion, and speaking style including rhythm, intonation and stress; which can alter the way the receiver decodes the message considerably. With these elements lacking it can be vital that your message is as clear and concise as possible so keeping the lingo to a minimum when the message is important might be something you want to consider. I think the best thing about text messaging is you can get a message to someone without interrupting what they are doing like a phone call. Receiving a text message is also alot easier than retrieving your voice mail messages. So as a sender and a receiver I prefer text messages to voice in many situations. I don't however want it to take the place of voice communication all the time. There are still some things that I don't want to find out about via a text message, (someone's died, someone's been in an accident, I'm fired, etc..) There are still some things that must be conveyed verbally.In regards to my thoughts on the New York Times article:
- I liked what Caitlin Williams said, "We are not at a point where there are a whole lot of rules for proper etiquette for texting. I think as it becomes a more acceptable form of communication, people will regulate themselves a little more" except I don't think it's a matter of time I think it's a person's willingness to adopt the rules of etiquette. Cell phones have been around for years now and there are still many people who conduct their business on their cell phone in public.
- "Usage controls were developed at the request of customers" according to Jack McArtney who says, “We know of some people who want to keep the kid’s phone from buzzing all night. They want them to get some sleep.” Hello parents? be parents and take the phone away if it's interferring with a good nights sleep, or what about turning if off? The on/off switch is the most important usage control and it's already a feature of your phone so no new developments necessary.
- Concerning safety - texting, like anything else that requires your attention (listening to music, talking on the phone) while trying to do anything else like driving, walking, even working out, is going to take your attention away from your primary activity and has potential problems. Yes, you can sometimes do two things at once but not always. If someone runs out between parked cars while your driving and your eyes are not on the road because your looking at your phone or even adjusting your radio station your level of attention is not the same as it would be if you were just driving. Does that mean we need laws governing our use of our cell phones while driving? I don't know the answer to that. I have been behind a driver who is not driving as attentively because they are on their phone and yes, that frustrates me to no end but do I pull over every time I get a call or place a text? No, I honestly can say I don't do that either. But then there are speed limits too and I don't always stick to those either. So laws may be one way to discourage an activity but it's not foolproof.
- Another kind of safety that you may not have considered when you provided your child with a cell phone. "We found that 44 percent of the high school boys that we have polled have seen at least one naked picture of a female classmate, and the boys are sharing their pictures too," Aftab said. Even if your children are not the ones photographed they may be sent these photos and view them without realizing what they are about to see. And if they are among those participating in sexting, Mark Rasch, a former cybercrime prosecutor for the Justice Department says it best. “The combination of poorly drafted laws, new technologies, draconian and inflexible punishments, and teenage hormones make for potentially disastrous results.”
Mark Johnson is the co-director of a remarkable documentary about the simple but transformative power of music: Playing for Change: Peace Through Music
