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Don't you feel like interacting with another person is WORTH 100% of your attention?
Sometimes. But often if people are just saying..."hey, how are you" and don't really have anything important to talk about .... It's the perfect solution.
I must say, for the record, that I am one of those people who HATE to talk on the phone. I NEVER initiate a phone call unless it is business related or I am checking my bank balance. I NEVER call people to "talk" ever.
I am not a phone talker. That being said, I had a friend who constantly felt the need to reply to text while she was doing something with me. Incredibly rude. The problem I have is that people feel it's not an interruption to text other people while they are with some one else. It's one thing if it's an emergency. Another if it's just random crap.
I have a 17 year old son who has to pay for his own phone. He doesn't text because he doesn't want to pay for a plan with unlimited texting. He trained his best friend to call the house first! Gotta give him props on being frugal.
Sometimes. But often if people are just saying..."hey, how are you" and don't really have anything important to talk about .... It's the perfect solution.
I guess I'm one of those people that if you don't have anything important to say, well then....what's the point.
I like texting for a couple of reasons. If I need to get a message to somebody who I know to be a "chatter", texting lets me say what needs to be said without getting drawn into a long conversation. Also, I can send a short text in less time than waiting for somebody to answer their cell phone. I have one friend who's phone blares country music in my ear while I wait for "my party to be reached" instead of ringing.
But, I mostly appreciate texting because my kids have embraced it, and are good about sending me a message letting me know they're on their way home, or have arrived safely back at school. Anything that provides me with peace of mind is fine in my book.
My kids hate talking on the phone and quite often their cell phones don't even work for calls in the house. Texting let's them carry on conversations over a long periord of time, with huge gaps in between if they want. They also have iphones which I guess is easier to text on than my old Nokia, where typing much more than "I'm here" is a struggle. We have a family plan with unlimited text and the lowest number of minutes possible and STILL have too many minutes.
It's a whole new world. I keep up the best I can and I'm thankful I'm able, but in another 50 years I will be gone and who the heck knows what will replace the phone AND texting...
I prefer texting to calling people for the reasons listed below. I started texting about 4 years ago.
-It's much faster for me.
-I can contact multiple people at once.
-Someone can leave me a short message that I can check quickly, instead of having to call my voicemail and go through voice messages.
-It's useful for sending/receiving info like names, phone numbers, addresses, etc (stuff that would usually require me getting a pen and paper to write myself a note).
-It's useful for LOUD places. Ever try talking with a boat engine roaring in the background?
-You can send pictures.
-It's cheap on an unlimited plan.
-You can hold a conversation over a longer period of time. You don't have to worry about the other person having to leave, and you also don't have to answer immediately in many cases.
-It's fun!
So there you have it. My parents (in their 50s) don't use texting with their peers but they frequently text to keep in touch with myself and my sister. They realized it was an effective way of communicating with us and now they enjoy it a lot!
I'm in my 40s, and while I complained about the texting trend at first, I now find it incredibly convenient. It's better for quick bits like times or reminders, things like that. It's easy to send a "I'll be there at 6:00" text than it is to call.
Texting is useful in some cases. Our exchange student will often text me if she's going to be late or if plans have changed... I can see how it would be embarrassing for a teenager to have to call Mommy to report that they decided to go to Tina's house instead of Heather's, or to ask if she can go to Steak N Shake with her friends after school. She can also text during school (okay, she's probably not SUPPOSED to be doing that, but she hasn't gotten in trouble for it yet, LOL) to tell me if they have practice afterwards or what have you. So texting in itself does not annoy me.
HOWEVER. When we are sitting on the couch together watching a movie or driving somewhere in the car and she's texting away with her friends, carrying on full conversations, it makes my eye twitch. WTH? :confused
What I don't like about texting, however, is that young people don't know when to stop. My daughter was at an audition last week, and the director actually stopped in the middle and told all of the girls who were texting that if they weren't serious enough to pay attention, they should leave. Parents need to teach their children that texting in some circumstances is not okay and to have consequences. We teach our daughter that there is no texting when she's at the table or when adults are talking. If my daughter took out her phone at the dinner table, she'd lose it for the day. She only takes her phone to school when she has an after school activity, but then she leaves it in her locker. If she texted me or anyone during the school day, she would lose her phone privileges for at least a week, probably longer. When kids are in school, they should be focusing on the teacher and on their school day. The best thing we as adults can do is to follow these rules ourselves and not text at dinner, while driving, at a meeting, or during a conversation. We need to set the example.
I use texting only if it is necessary, even though I have a qwerty keyboard it takes me forever. My kids on the other hand text alot and tease me because I am so slow. If I want to have a conversation with someone I prefer to hear a voice.
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