The Trouble With Texting

While our world is constantly gaining new forms of communication, we are also losing the valuable interactions we used to hold. People rarely talk to each other face to face, as they would rather talk online or by texting. Is the internet world really worth losing all the other valuable aspects of life? Texting has allowed private matters to enter everyone’s lives with ease, opening the door to just as many benefits as issues.

One of the hazards of cell phones is texting while driving. Over one-third of young drivers admit to texting while on the road. While all forms of cell phone use are dangerous to use on the road, texting while driving is the worst. While texting, drivers have their eyes off the road for much longer than if they were to actually be talking on the phone. In fact, texting while driving creates a 23% increased chance of getting in an accident, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s research. Regardless, cell phone usage at all while driving can be fatal, as it caused approximately 6,000 American deaths in 2008.

It’s worth waiting to get home, yet people are fascinated with multi-tasking in today’s fast paced world.

Text messaging has become a way for people to supposedly get things done faster. However, it would take less time to actually call the person than to send a message, wait, and repeat for a full conversation. It is fast in the manner of sending simple, short messages. These short messages seem to be a way to avoid drawn out conversations with people you know will talk for a while. If you don’t want to hear what they have to say, however, it seems pointless to bother ‘talking’ to them at all.

A loss in the sense of personality given through a person’s voice and expressions also occurs. Those qualities of personality are being replaced by smiley faces that every other texting teenager is using – where is the individuality with that?

Texting has allowed people to do harder tasks without having to meet people face to face, as well. This creates an escape from facing emotional problems, which leads to another way for people to disregard human qualities. People enjoy the idea that they can break up with someone, tell someone bad news, or simply pass rumors without the need to actually throw emotion into anything. It lacks the personal touch people should receive from others.

Everyone wants to cut things short. As the world around us has become fast moving and thrives on ideals of quickly getting things done, communication suffers. With car accidents, loss of personality and easy escapes from hard conversations, texting certainly has hindered a world that used to thrive on talking and getting together with people in person, rather than forwarding information by cell phones.

By: Samantha St.Clair

10 thoughts on “The Trouble With Texting”

  1. i think it’s true about what was said. cell phones are pretty much ruining the social skills.

  2. I think that this passage is very true for the most part. People really shouldn’t be driving and texting especially scene most teen drivers shouldn’t even be driving because they are just so careless. The part that says that texting makes it so people don’t have to talk to the person is some what true. Most of the people i talk to don’t even answer their phones if someone calls most kids only answer if its a text message.

  3. I Know Texting While Driving Isn’t Safe. But I Find It Easier Too Text Someone Then Too Hold A Converstion On The Phone With Them While Driving.
    Cause Talking On The Phone Takes Your Attention Off The Road && Atleast One Hand; Texting While Driving Can Get Done Within A Couple Of Seconds.

  4. Samantha,

    What a great article. Thanks for writing it. I struggle sometimes with texting or emailing, vs picking up the phone or talking with someone face to face. The texting is easier short term, but meaningful and thoughtful conversations just can’t be held that way – eye contact makes all the difference. It changes just about everything when you can see a person’s physical reaction to what you are saying. I am also tempted to text and talk on the phone when I drive. It’s a habit I am trying hard to break because of the danger.

  5. I don’t understand why it is you would text and drive. Don’t you need to use your eyes and hands when driving a car? It’s common sense, you shouldn’t legally be on the road if you text and drive.

  6. It should probably be illegal to txt and drive. I now people that have a hard enough time just driving as it is. Txting in general isn’t that bad. You might txt someone if your out with a group of people n you don’t feel like having everyone listen to your conversation.

  7. So im gonna comment on angeleka’s comment. While texting is easier, its alot more dangerous than talking on the phone. Say it takes you 5 seconds for 1 text, thats like driving the length of a whole football feild without looking at the road. Think about it

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