First I'd like to have a little disclaimer. There are times and places for texting. I don't agree with being rude, and there a lot of ways to be rude when it comes to this form of communication. Let me give you a few examples. Say you are at dinner, or in a social situation that isn't just casual hanging out. This is NOT the time to text. It is rude and you are basically saying that you would rather be talking to whoever you are texting than with the people that are in front of you. And that is not ok. No matter what. Texting during church is also not ok. You are there to worship the Lord, not text your friends and family. It's rude to the speakers and teachers as well. So basically what I'm saying is that I do not advocate being rude, so let's have some control, shall we?
Texting is so great though for so many reasons. I have a lot of friends that I like to keep in touch with. And to be honest, I don't have the time to call every single one of them on a regular basis. Talking on the phone takes so much longer, and when you are on the phone, you have to dedicate your entire attention to the person that you are talking to. Who honestly has time for this? I barely have the time to talk to my family. So what's wrong with texting someone just to see what's up? The idea I'm trying to get across is that there is nothing wrong with it! The great thing about it is that I can still be getting my daily tasks done while keeping in touch with people. Isn't it great? We weren't able to do that 10 years ago! I can be at work, I can do homework, I can practice the piano, watch my favorite tv show, etc WHILE keeping in touch. And to me, that is a great thing about this generation.
Getting information out there is also a great thing to do- and texting is the perfect way to do it. Let's look at an example. Say person A (let's call him Billy) wants to invite me to do something, such as a party. Here's how the conversation would go if he called me:
(phone ringing)
me: Hello?
Billy: Hey Grace, how's it going?
me: Oh really well, how are you doing?
Billy: I'm doing great, what are you up to tonight?
me: Oh I'm just working- I'm actually at work right now
Billy: Oh yeah? what time do you get off?
me: Oh at 9, so I'm free after that.
Billy: Oh ok, cool. Well my roommates and I are having a movie night tonight, do you want to come?
me: Oh yeah that could be fun, what movie are you watching?
Billy: The Lion King- one of my favorites
me: Oh yeah, I like that one. Ok well yeah I can head over after work.
Billy: Oh ok, awesome. It's going to be fun!
me: yeah, sounds like it
(this is where the conversation gets slightly awkward because neither of us know how to get off of the phone)
Billy: ok... well I guess I'll talk to you later
me: Yeah, see ya
(hang up phone- wishing he had just texted me)
So yeah- this is a short conversation, I know. But this is basically saying as little as possible. I rarely get off the phone, having only said that little. And getting off of the phone is the worst! So how do we fix this problem? That's right- texting!! Here's how it would go if it were texting
Billy: hey grace, we are watching lion king at my house tonight at 10. hope to see you there!
(at this point I can choose to not respond at all, or if I really want to, I can)
me: yeah, sounds great! See you there!
See how fast that was? Efficient, easy, and none of the small, unnecessary talk. Perfect. Moving on- many people are against texting because they say that it can often come off the wrong way because you can read into texts the wrong way. This can often happen when it comes to texting someone that you are interested in or dating. All I can say to that is that it's your own fault. If you know someone well enough, you would know how they were coming across anyway. But let's just pretend that you don't know someone very well. Here's how to get around those problems. If you are joking, saying something like jk, lol, or haha. Is it really that hard? Don't say things that could be taken rudely- or hey here's a thought- don't fight over texting. Just text saying that you want to talk about it in person later. I have had serious conversations over texting and it turned out fine. Just have control and keep in mind who you are texting and how you could come across. As far as texting someone you are interested in goes- I think its a great thing to do! Texting someone you like just to see how they are doing throughout the day is a great way of letting them know that you are interested. Or if you take a girl out on a date, boys. Text them when it is over if you like them! It would be silly to call them because you just spent a night with them on a date! Just saying something brief like "I had a really good time tonight. I hope we can do it again sometime" or "You are really great, I hope I can spend more time with you." There are many other things you could text them- these are just examples, be it lame ones. haha. Girls love it when boys text them! So boys, if you want to let a girl know that you are interested in them, maybe give texting her a try!
I do have one warning however, if you want to be super flirty through texting- which that is fine. Then back it up in person! There is nothing worse than getting all of these flirty texts from a guy and then when you spend time with him in person, nothing happens. Just remember to be yourself. And remember who you are texting. It's very easy to get really flirty if you forget who you are texting. I don't mean literally- it's just easy to get caught up in the fun of flirting and such. Get what I'm saying? Hope so.
So there you have it- texting has got a bad rep- and I'm here to defend it. And I'm sticking to it. Just be smart about it- that's all that it takes, really. Come on now people- we all have common sense, right? Let's use it.
3 comments:
Grace! Love your blog. Your voice really comes through in your writing! Concerning texting, I have mixed feelings, but FHE starts soon, so I'll have to tell you about them later.
Ciao!
txting is cooool.
ok. I knew I was supposed to write this a while ago. I always come through but sometimes not in an expected timetable. Ahh such is the life of me.
You are right. I define the argument and limit the scope of the discussion to an extent that makes points logical a irrefutable.
I would like to point out a couple of things. There is often a wide disparity between reality and our perceived reality. Although we know that texting in social situations is inherently divisive and wrong, we all do it!! Darn it all, even I do it! You have done it right in front of me, and it has become one of those inconvenient truths of our society. So when you say, "[you] don't agree with being rude" it is the ideal juxtaposed with reality. (Thats a great word isn't it?) You are right, again, about texting being efficient and useful. Texting is EXTREMELY useful because, as you say, it saves time, allows for multi-tasking, and can be much less awkward that phone conversations. You argue that the purpose of the texting should be in mind. If I want to get to know someone, I should not text them questions. I should a) talk to them in person b) write them an email c) write them a letter d) talk to them on the phone e) decide not to get to know them f) and as a last resort use texting. This is only if I really want to get to know a person rather than a facebook profile or the occasional 160 character description of someones personality. One's personality would have to be very small indeed to fit inside 160 characters.
I only have one other comment, as I said at the beginning your right. This comment has very little to do with your post and really a continuation of the discussion in a different direction. Relationships, arguably not the topic of your post, are built upon the taking of risk. It is the only way to deepen relationships. Textual acceptance or rejection is much easier to deal with than face to face or ear to ear rejections. It is a way of making the risk that we should make in person much easier. The lack of risk taking is what makes this form of communication effective yet weak. Fit for telegram like messages that tell little about the sender or receiver while conveying the most information with the least amount of effort.
Well I hope you enjoy my thoughts.
http://jonjacobweiss.blogspot.com/2010/03/conscience-decisions-to-connect-with.html
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