Text Messages - When Words Seem to Fail
Sending text messages is greater than a worldwide trend. It
seems that America and other countries have sent text messages long before it
was capable on smart phones.
There was a time when pagers, a PDA and cell phones were
discrete devices and you would fine people carrying all three. Prior to all of
this technology, people would mail letters, make phone calls at home or a phone
booth; do not forget those? People make use of to communicate either face to
face, via a telephone call or by a letter sent in the mail.
The power of spoken words kept you in connection with what a
person was feeling. Emotions were present, facial expressions were recognizable
and those interacting with people on a personal level, learned valuable
communication capabilities. When conversing face to face with a person and if
you were to hear a need, you felt a sense to reach out and offer some advice or
help in a way. Our spoken words, appear to connect us. No matter if you were
mad, upset or elated over what is said, there was a connection, something was
communicated and someone responded.
Text messages changed the way we communicate. When smarts
phones became smarted, the younger and older generation of techies needed to
have these devices. So much so, texting surpasses, face to face, email and
phone conversations for ages 12-17 year olds. You can be sure that 10-15 years
ago, no one would have ever thought, sending text messages would surpass conversing
to someone face to face. I worked at a place in Atlanta Georgia where instant
messages were the preferred technique of interoffice communications. You could
be sitting ten feet away from someone in you cubicle and they would rather send
instant messages than to walk over to you and converse.
The Great Disconnect
Texting is impersonal. You do not have to wait for a
reaction, you never see the facial expression of the one you are having
communication with. If the person you are texting is sad, you are disconnected
from that emotion and therefore free from having to reply and offer comfort or
assistance. Texting granting permission to you to mask (if you want) your true
feelings about what you are saying to the person you are texting. Much is lost
in the translation when you only text. How can you grasp about a person if you
only means of communicating is electronic.
When our words seem to fail with our teen ages (and some
adults) sending a text message is comfortable, easy and familiar to them. There
is so much to perceive when you have a face to face session with another
person. You can enhance your vocabulary, recognize the different facial
expressions and responses to questions. If texting is your key source of
conversation, how will you know deception? How can you gauge sincerity? We rob
ourselves of the learning that voice and face to face communication can affords
us. What ever new technology surfaces in the upcoming few years, lets hope it
connects us to people on a more personal level, oh 's what Face Time does.
Nothing can replace what personal face to face conversation instructs.
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