Texting 123

Texting 123
I read the report on NPR about texting and to say I couldn't agree more is an understatement. The evidence is everywhere. Texting is a way for people to stay connected so they say. It seems more like instant gratification. It says I'm in a hurry, drop everything you're doing and reply to me I'm all that matters. People who text (in the context of the NPR message) did not carry on a conversation they simply send bit and piece replies. It's amazing how these bit and piece replies also come across in their ordinary communication and vocabulary. How many times have you heard someone say, “that's random,” it’s the one-size-fits-all answer to everything. What could be more exciting than having a conversation with someone who says LOL. For God sakes if you want to LOL just do it. I grew up in a life of full of acronyms living in the military for 26 years. But acronyms have a time and place and it's not during social contact. Social contact with is that? There's no sense having social contact when you can send a text message to somebody and expected a reply within minutes instead of waiting to meet up with them and asked them how was their day. Why bother going out for a cup of coffee to send them a text message. When I was about 16 years old I realized that I did not did want to talk to people on the phone about important or personal matters because I wanted to be able to judge their feelings and body language. Texting does away with body language and being able to read people's feelings. This sense of impersonal permeates their everyday lives. It's so easy for information to be misunderstood in both directions from text messaging this leads to hurt feelings, anger and a host of other things that could've been prevented with an eye to eye personal conversation. No I have never texted a message to anyone and I do find them quite annoying whenever I receive one. Reminds me of the old AT&T telephone commercial that says the phone call was the next best thing to being there. That is so true, a phone call you can hear someone's voice and the sound of someone's voice can make all the difference in the world. But a text message not only lacks the connection but the manner in which the messages are written also lacks any personal feelings. It's not the same as a letter that someone has taken the time to carefully write from the heart. Text messaging has no heartfelt sentiments. In fact an e-mail does not evoke the same feelings as an old-fashioned letter and that is a far cry from a telephone call and still a long way from a face-to-face meeting. I will never be satisfied with the impersonal communication of a text message. And the rudeness that is displayed by others sending and receiving text messages while they are having a face-to-face conversation with another shows a complete erosion of manners.