A Second Look at Texting

A seemingly harmless method of communication—text messaging—is bringing unusually unpleasant side effects with it, according to the article “As Text Messages Fly, Danger Lurks” in the New York Times. The article offers a number of arguments against texting, ranging from the dangers that it poses to those who text and drive at the same time to the assertion by Paul Saffo, a technology trend forecaster in Silicon Valley, that texting removes 10 I.Q. points. The article’s in-depth research on a growing issue that is not frequently addressed make it definitely worth your time to read. A recent event that the article points to as evidence of texting’s dangers is a deadly commuter rail accident in California in which texting by the train engineer is being examined as a possible cause of the crash. This particular crash killed 25 people and injured 130 others, and many other incidents involving texting have also led to deaths.
Despite the dire consequences of texting, the form of communication is growing very rapidly, and is popular with many people. In the article, people who frequently use text messages attest to the directness and convenience of texting as two of its positive aspects. When texting someone, formalities of typical phone conversations are forgone, and getting an immediate answer can be easier than with traditional phone calls. Perhaps these reasons contribute to the fact that, according to a consumer research company called Nielson Mobile, Americans now send or receive more text messages than they do phone calls. At any rate, the dangers associated with texting do not seem to be hindering the growth of its use.
In my opinion, texting is acceptable in moderation, if not in excess. I agree that texting can be a convenient way to communicate with someone, and that it works better in some situations than calling. I’m also confident that in moderation, texting won’t significantly affect my I.Q. level. However, I would never consider texting while driving or even walking down a busy street, due to the distraction and danger that it creates. I think that many people do not realize how distracted they are when they are texting someone. It is easy to forget that being in an area with cars or other moving vehicles requires a certain level of alertness, and texting can destroy that alertness faster than many people know. Maybe if people were aware that they are placing the lives of themselves and those around them in danger when they text and drive, they would prioritize their focus on the road around them above their focus on the anecdote that they are texting.
One question that I had as I read this article was what the difference in the level of distraction between texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is. I would hypothesize that texting while driving has a more damaging effect on one’s driving, because most people have to take their eyes off the road for a longer amount of time to write a text message than they do to dial a number. However, the amount of media attention devoted to talking on a cell phone while driving seems just as great if not greater than the attention towards texting while driving. As the popularity of texting continues to increase, I’m sure that the media attention surrounding it will follow suit.
Aside from the dangers of texting, I think the form of communication has other problems. Texting seems to take priority above interacting with people actually around you too many times. I am always shocked when I see people hanging out together, yet focused on their cell phone buttons and texting those not around them, instead of talking with each other. I can understand that occasionally it is necessary to text someone and risk ignoring the people around you. But just as people wouldn’t make social calls while hanging out with friends, I think it is rather rude to consistently text others instead of talking to the people around you.

Work Cited:

Steinhauer, Jennifer and Laura M. Holson. “As Text Messages Fly, Danger Lurks.” New York Times 19 September 2008: A1.

Welcome

At long last, I have a blog. I never thought the day would come. Here you will find my thoughts and comments on my Enriched Language Arts outside reading. I hope that you find my ideas worthwhile to read, and that they provoke responses from you, as well. I'm excited to read others' blogs and I hope that we all learn a lot from the activity.