Trend Analysis (Take Two)

Jacob Johnson
Dr. Tinberg
ENG 101-A07
12/06/10

“Texting Our Lives Away”


Fifteen minutes before class starts, and a dozen students sit in wake of the

oncoming academia. All are deeply engaged in conversation, yet no word is spoken.

Trapped in silence—eyes glazed-over—fingers pounding relentlessly—all, oblivious to

the people around them. These students are merely a fraction of greater phenomenon.

We see it. We recognize it. However, we rarely look at the consequences.


Texting has become one of the most popular forms of modern communication,

without doubt. Whether it be in the classroom, at restaurants or even on the road, this

phenomenon simply cannot be avoided. While it is easy to recognizing the role that

texting plays in our advancing world, the need to look more critically at this practice is

becoming very apparent. Although the idea of texting may have been completely foreign

a few decades ago, it is now an undeniable growing aspect of our culture. As we take a

closer look at texting, we will see how simply it has become popular and how dire its

effects can be.


The first notable cause in the increase of texting would simply be in the available

of cell phones. While mobile devices are now common place, it is important to recognize

the fact that this is still fairly recent. Back in 2001, we saw reports of cell phone usage

accelerating as phones became more available and affordable(Sbranti). For text

messaging to truly take off, there needs to not only be a large audience of phone owners,

but also a sufficient period of time, over which users could become comfortable using a

phone for more than the traditional conversation. Naturally, as phone became more

popular and technology advanced, the accessibility of texting increase significantly. Once

the availability was in place, all that would be need would be a catalyst to make texting

go viral.


A second reason why texting has become so popular, is simply its convenience.

The fact is that teens—some of the most frequent texters—are now using texting to

replace phone conversations. (Bucciarelli) Texting allows for conversations to take place

in areas that would loud for phone conversations—on the flipside, it also allows for

conversations in intentionally quite place, such as classrooms. By making communication

so simple, it is easy to always spend a few more seconds to send yet another message.

Although texting is most popular among teens, adults are by no means immune to this

phenomenon. For many, texting has become to new way to send reminders or ask a quick

question. People love to talk. Any device which offers quick, easy communication is very

likely to catch on.


While texting has offered many advantages when it comes to staying it touch,

there certainly are draw backs which need to be mentioned. Perhaps the most notable

negative of effect of text messaging, is the distraction it creates while driving. It has been

reported that “Research has actually shown that texting while driving can make you 20

times more likely to get into a car accident”(Don’t text). While it is perfectly

possible to simply abstain from texting while driving—as many do—a significant amount

of texters do not use such caution. Although certain measures have been taken to prevent

texting while driving—such as petitions and ever laws—there remain concerns about how

many of these dangerous drivers will remain on the road.


Although texting while driving posing is a very immediate consequence of

texting, are also some long term concerns. One major concern which has been raised, is

the toil that text messaging has been taking on students’ writing skills(Texting,

Microblogging and overuse). Texting focuses on communication information as quickly

as simply as possible, thus abbreviations, informal acronyms and poor grammar become

common. As it becomes more and more a part of a students daily routine, many fear that

texting will soon become taxing on a student academic progress. There does not appear to

be any answer to this concern yet.


There is also see a more unique concern which is perhaps the most apparent. We

have just seen a concerning threat that texting may pose, but lets draw our attention to a

more immediate effect of this increasing trend. While text messaging may provide quick

and efficient communication, there are uncertainties about the social and psychological

effect it may be having on texters. It was reported by the New York Times in May of

2009 that texting is causing teenagers to have a sense of obligation to constantly be in

contact with friends. This hyper-connectivity could likely result in an unhealthy

dependence on constant, immediate communication(Hafner). Like any form of unnatural

dependence, there are certainly concerns that this progression of texting can have sever

social effects in the future. Studies have also shown, that many teens admit that their

social life would be hindered, if not cease altogether if they were to give up

texting(Teens).It is unclear what type of effects may be caused in the future, but by

simply looking at the world around us, it is clear that texting is certainly doing something.


All being said, texting has been becoming a large part of our modern culture, and

may very well continue in this process. There certainly are many benefits and

conveniences to this trend, but we cannot ignore the effects of it. The short-term

consequences of texting while driving cannot be ignored. This issue certainly has been

addressed to an extent, but it is unlikely it will be resolved easily. Also, the long-term

consequences, although not immediately apparent, may have drastic effects for future

generations. It is not entirely clear how we should proceed in regards to this trend, but the

one thing which is clear, is that we must be aware the effects it has had, and may have in

the future.



Bibliography:

Bucciarelli, Suzzane. "Teens are the Textiest People." Geeks Planet 11 Nov 2010: n. pag. Web. 27 Nov 2010.

“Don't text, or drink, behind the wheel." Industrial Engineer 42.5 (2010): 14. Academic OneFile. Web. 27 Nov. 2010.

Hafner, Katie. "Texting May Be Taking a Toll." New York Times. 26 May 2009: Web. 4 Dec 2010

Sbranti, J.N. "HTML Full TextCompetition for Cell Phones Is Fierce, Options Endless, Expansion Nonstop ." Newspaper Source. 7 Jul. 2001, web. Nov. 2010

"Teens Who Text." Communications of the ACM 51.11 (2008): 19. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.

"Texting, microblogging, and overuse of online tools will have a negative effect on student writing and academic performance." The Futurist Nov.-Dec. 2010: S3. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 27 Nov. 2010.