Ok — enough on this texting topic already. Just a couple more points and I’ll put it to rest.
You know I’m not a big fan of texting, but I’m coming to accept it… that doesn’t mean a lot of things about it don’t still bother me.
It appears that as this “new” method of communication increases, it’s become a game of who can use the fewest textual characters possible and traditional voice-based methods of communication are diminishing.
I read that social networking is the world’s most popular online activity. I’d venture to guess that a very high percentage of all teens are members of at least one social network. Obviously the language used to communicate over these networks is significantly different that the language used in formal writing and face-to-face communication — but — I’m thinking, so is social etiquette. People are so entrenched in communication via “technology,” they have developed poor social skills in face-to-face settings. And to make it worse, young people, especially, are taking themselves out of environments that teach them to communicate face-to-face.
Most people of my generation were old enough when they began using mobile devices or the Internet that their social skills were already developed. That’s not the case with young people today.
A couple of days ago I mentioned a study that had determined that most people believed that if you were apologizing for something, it should be done in person, not via a text message. I think that’s true — tapping out “I’m sorry” on a keyboard and hitting “send” doesn’t convey any hurt or sadness that would be communicated through verbal or visual clues. It’s certainly easier for the person apologizing to deliver a difficult or uncomfortable message that way, but it also allows him or her to avoid vital emotions that should accompany the apology
Well anyhow, enough — texting is here to stay and the fact is most younger people don’t ever text me anyway — so it is what it is. Whenever I do get a text, I’ll just continue to wonder if that semi-colon is some kind of flirty wink or just bad punctuation….
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