Is Text Messaging Replacing Human Communication?

Remember the days of passing notes in class, trying to be sneaky so that the teacher wouldn't catch you? Now imagine that it's not a neatly folded piece of paper that you are trying pass across the aisle at school, but a note typed into a select area of a cell phone. By selecting who you want to send that note to and pressing send, you have just passed that note on without anyone even noticing. Unless, of course, the teacher catches you with your cell phone in class, which may be cause to take it from you for the day. Nonetheless, whether in school, at home, shopping at the mall or studying in the library, kids are keeping in constant contact through their cell phones without ever saying a word. Welcome to the world of text messaging.

In this day and age, most everyone is equipped with a cell phone, from Grandma down to a five year old child. Back in the days when you actually had to be at home to receive a phone call, people had to actually speak to one another, whether you wanted to or not. You took a chance by answering the telephone when it rang, not knowing who was on the other end.

Then came caller ID, which at least gave us the choice of whether we wanted to pick up the phone or not. Cell phones are all equipped with some form of caller ID, giving us that same option, but there is also a feature on the cell phone that can eliminate having to talk to anyone at all. It's called text messaging and how it works is that instead of dialing a number, or choosing one from our contact list we have inserted into our phones and talking with the party at the other end, we can simply type them a message. The person on the receiving end will get the message, read it, and type a message back.

Is Text Messaging Replacing Human Communication?

Back in the day, we called that writing a letter! Unlike sending a letter across the country and waiting for sometimes weeks to get a reply, text messaging is instant. But like a letter, texting gives you a sense of anonymity, not having to actually talk to the person you are texting. This gives some teenagers a false sense of security, allowing them to text words to people that they would never say to them in person. In some cases, sending nasty or degrading messages to kids simply to make fun of them or say things to hurt them has become a form of bullying. The best answer to that is that the person on the reviving end can simply hit delete and the message is gone.

Text messaging seems to be another way to avoid human communication, such as speaking to a person on the phone or face to face. Like any technology before it, it has advantages and disadvantages, but one thing is for sure. Texting has definitely become all the rage.

Is Text Messaging Replacing Human Communication?
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Look more from Steven Reynolds, a writer with a focus on technology related discussions that talks about everything from how to create a cell phone skin, what to look for in laptops, and most gadgets.