Randy Cohen'sWhen Texting Is Wrong?

Kate Hafner’s article, “Texting May Be Taking a Toll” claims that texting is an issue to teenagers around the world. As an illustration, Hafner starts the article by identifying that teenagers send a drastic amount of texts in their everyday lives. according to the Nielsen Company, “American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008”(1). This is just one of the examples of many that portrays teenagers around the world send many text messages. Along with teenagers sending many texts a day, hafner also shows in this article that texting is affecting teenager's life in many different ways for example, preventing teenagers' way of becoming independent. Just as professor Turkle presented,

“Our generation doesn't ring the doorbell. They text or call to say they're outside,” this line is from one of the well-known social networks, Tweeter, which shows how the way of communication has change in this modern life. According to 2013 statistics by Business Insider, in United States alone, smartphone owners aged 18 to 24 send 2,022 texts per month on average — 67 texts on a daily basis — and receive another 1,831 texts (Cocotas). Nowadays, technology such as text messaging has practically replaced traditional face to face communication among the society primarily in young generations because texting allows messages to be sent fast and effortless. In order to quickly type what they are trying to say in text messaging, people are

Although her study supports the hypothesis that texting and writing have no relationship to one another, Cullington (and the researchers whose work she analyzed) recognizes the significance of new technology and society’s evolving modes of communication. She writes, “The use of text mes- saging as a common means of communication is becoming increasingly popular; therefore, this issue should continue to be examined” (94). Not surprisingly, the popularity of texting has increased since the time of Cullington’s article and so too has research on its effect on student writ- ing. What Cullington may not have anticipated, however, are the ways in which texting itself has changed. How might innovations such as Internet access, various “apps,” and software advance- ments have changed texting in the mere two years since Michaela Cullington published her article in 2011?

Furthermore, I agree with Turkle that technology is overtaking our lives in a way that we might not even notice. Most everyone has one has a cell phone. Whether we are texting, reading emails, or playing Angry Birds, we are so absorbed into a virtual world. Even though we may not realize it, many of

We carry our cellphones with us at all times, and with all this online connection, you would think that stepping back and disconnecting is a huge achievement. But this is a new way of life. Nathan Jurgenson, in his article “The IRL Fetish” says, “We have come to understand more and more of our lives through the logic of digital connection. Social media is more than something we log onto; it’s something we carry within us. We can’t log off.”. He explains how we are so deeply connected with technology that it is nearly impossible to stay ‘old-fashioned’. We are learning to accept technological advancements because they are inevitable. In other words, to adapt to this new form of literacy is much easier than avoiding it. In recognition that texting truly is literacy, one English teacher had her students put excerpts of Richard III into “text speak” to show that they fully understand the material. Educators are embracing texting as a new form of learning because it clearly is not going away. Students enjoy texting as a way to escape reality and fail to recognize the literary benefits. Texting will continue to encourage students to read and write as well as improve spelling with phonological

Instant gratification has become the social norm in this generation but is diminishing the quality of communication. Cell phones have changed massively in the past few years, making communication weaken each time cell phones are updated. At first, cell phones were just used for calling. Calling was the only operation that they were capable of and most of the time calling was not even convenient on a cell phone. Although the concept of texting has been out for decades, actual texting became available to all society in 1994 (Turrettini). Texting instantly

Years of research show that texting is leading to an increase in social awkwardness in teens and children. “Nini Halkett has taught history there for two decades. As her students are increasingly immersed in texting, Halkett also finds them increasingly shy and awkward in person.” (Jennifer Ludden’s article “Teen Texting Soars; Will Social Skills Suffer?” paragraph 14). With a majority of teens feeling more at ease texting each other, this can and will lead to

In her essay “No Need to Call,” Sherry Turkle makes the claim that smart phones, texting in particular, are having a negative effect on the way humans interact and communicate with each other. The issue of how smart phones are changing our social behaviors is important because it can potentially impact the future of the human race. With smart phones, computers and tablets, our society is entering into uncharted territory and we cannot be certain of how the outcome will change our social interactions. Figuring out whether or not these changes are negative or positive is a pertinent topic for all people because everyone is affected by these new technologies in their everyday lives, whether they have them or not. Turkle believes that the way we are communicating through these devices is starting to develop us into humans who are too reliant on impersonal forms of communication to the point that it is changing how we interact with others.

There is an ongoing curiosity about why electronic devices are so irresistible. It is flabbergasting and utterly disappointing that people of all ages, including hypocritical parents lecturing teens about their texting addiction, “would prefer to communicate over text rather than meeting face to face”(mobile commons). Although technology has its benefits of quick communication and always staying in touch with others, the amount of common sense lost to technology has a stronger and more detrimental effect on one 's future. As people become more dependent on the technology that sits in the palms of their hands, the social skills one

    Sherry Turkle, a professor and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, wrote an essay called “No Need To Call” to talk about her research on cell phones and social life. She goes in depth into a few lives of those who use their cell phones frequently and those who avoid it. Turkle starts off her essay by talking about Elaine, a seventeen year old. Elaine acknowledges the use of texting within her generation, she states “It’s only on the screen that shy people open up.” (373). Elaine then follows this by speaking of the ability to pause and think before you send a message. You have more time to think before you say something, unlike in person or on the phone. Turkle then reflects on this teen’s analysis, she says, “Elaine is right in her analysis: teenagers flee the telephone. Perhaps more surprisingly, so do adults.” (374).

Everyone wants to stay connected in each others lives by never missing a beat. More like never missing a text message in this day and age. Life is constantly finding its way to become full of responsibilities with little time to take a break as it is. Texting my family and friends is easier to respond to when I 'm taking care of my daughter and studying for school. Even a phone call seems better so I can multitask, cleaning the house or driving while talking on the phone. Communication is an essential key and important human need. By using technology, there is a deeper connection to communicating than some acknowledge.

The reason behind such decision is that unless in urgent situations, other people expect them to text, the technology that is more prevalent and requires less effort to respond than phone (Turkle 375). Although “Tara and Leonora are discontent, but do not feel they have a choice. This is where technology has brought them” (Turkle 375). From those examples, we can easily observe that because the notions of using certain technology have already became parts of our general social roles, people can no longer resist the influence of it regardless of our feeling.

In the article” Is Texting Killing the English Language?” from TIME, they start the article off with one critic referring to texting as the downfall for the written word. “Penmanship for illiterates,” The article goes not agree with the critic. The article explains that texting is the new kind of talking. In these times there is hardly any hand written correspondence. If you want to reach out to someone you send then an email or the most common is a text. Texting has made reaching out to someone so easy and convenient. If you have a thought, or an idea you grab your phone and send a text message. You usually have a response within seconds. I don’t think that technology is killing the written language; I feel that it is just making it easier to have quick communication with others. I feel that texting is like short hand you are abbreviating words to get your message across quickly. Our society is so rushed and

Though the power of text messaging has many benefits to it, the misuse of this technology can cause serious problems for society. With the ability to communicate instantaneously on a mobile device, society focuses more and more on their

Technology is quickly becoming a huge part of day to day life for nearly everyone. If you walk around most places, you will see a large percent of people either on their cell phones, on their computers, or using some other electronic device. While some of it is being used for business and other important things, most of the time, it is more for entertainment. It is because of this that people claim that technology is changing the way people think today. In his article “Is Google making us stupid”, Nicholas Carr argues that people have become dependent upon the internet for information rather than having to work to figure it out. In the article “Does texting effect writing”, Michaela Cullington argues that people’s texting is effecting the way people write because people don’t show emotion when texting, so that is translating back into their writing. Both arguments are effective, both appeal to emotion, but the more effective argument is Carr’s because it is a more sound argument based on logic and credibility.