Final Paper : How Texting affects communication

Briana J Lugo

MCS 244

Professor Jonah Brucker Cohen

12 May 2019

Final Paper: How is Texting Affecting Communication between People and Important Relationship

The first form of texting would be considered emails where people use to send messages back and fourth through an email server. In the late 1990’s Nokia released the first flip phone with a full keyboard, the release of this phone was the start of texting which began in the year 2000. Throughout the years texting has become increasingly popular from younger generations to older generations. Texting was mostly done by teenagers and the younger generations but now it seems that almost everyone is using texting to communicate. In the article “How texting Changes Communication” Zawn Villines States “Texting has, in many ways, made communication easier by helping people avoid long, unpleasant phone conversations and making a quick “Hello” much easier. According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of teenagers text regularly, and one in three sends more than 100 texts per day. Clearly, texting is the preferred method of communication among young people, and that trend is moving upward toward adults, who are also texting much more frequently”. Adults have began using texting more regularly as a form of communication, it seems like people have been making less phone calls as the years go on. Research states that only 35% of Americans texted in 2006 and in 2015 100% of people between 18-29 years old texted also 92% of people over 50 also texted. As the years go by more and more people are starting to use texting as a main form of communication which is causing a big impact in communication between people.

In the Forbes article “ Why Millennials Are texting More and Talking Less” by Neil Howe discusses the impact that texting has had on major companies and individuals. Major companies like JPMorgan Chase, Coca-Cola and Bank of America have given their employees the option to eliminate receiving calls or voicemails. More than half of the companies employees accepted the offer to eliminate voicemails as they rely heavily on communicating through email, text message, or through social media. Many employees feel that “calling someone without e-mailing first can make it seem as though you’re prioritizing your needs over theirs.” which is why they preferred to eliminate voicemail and strictly rely on emails and text messages for communication throughout work. Although strictly relying on email and text is preferred by most employees it can also be risky in some cases because “messages are so condensed that they often fail to convey the sender’s intended meaning and tone, causing misunderstandings” (Howe). A study at Bently University showed that 51% of professional workers between the age of 18-34 still prefer to communicate with colleagues in person exceeding the 19% of people who prefer to communicate through emails and the 14% of people who prefer to communicate through text. It is always best to communicate in person when it comes to serious matters especially in the work place there is only so much work that can get done through text. It is important to meet in person and schedule in person business meetings so that everyone is on the same page and that there is no miscommunication or misunderstandings about what work needs to get done.

Addressing serious issues or arguing through text message can lead to difficulties in relationships and possibly lead to miscommunication. In the Video “ How Texting Can Ruin Relationships” researches state we have “the tendency to put our own emotional state into things that we are reading if we feel anxious or angry and we receive a text or an email we tend to use that mail to confirm our feelings it’s part of our brains limbic response, that fight or flight system if our brains are looking for a fight then everything looks like a fight” Peoples emotions can lead them into misinterpreting or misunderstanding a text message which can lead to even bigger problems in relationships. This is why it is best to always communicate serious issues in person because if you are feeling angry then any message you receive is going to come off as angry which might not be the case for the person that sent the message. Letting your emotions get the best of you through text can cause major arguments in relationships, research shows that women can come off as passive aggressive when dealing with certain issues or augments through text. We can only pick up ones emotion when communicating face to face it is extremely hard to determine ones emotions through text unless they flat out tell you how they are feeling. Studies showed that individuals in relationship who did less texting were happier overall. This is because they spent more time communicating and interacting in person.

People prefer texting because it provides a faster form of communication allowing people to send messages whenever they want. In the article “The Trouble with Texting: A few reasons why texting is no substitute for face-to-face communication” by Kim Schneiderman discusses how texting can affect important relationships. Schneiderman states “texting has become a habitual form of communications. And we all know that some habits are hard to break”. It seems that people are relying on communicating through texting to resolve certain problems, especially people in relationships who are choosing to argue through text and avoid face-to-face communication. In the article Schneiderman discusses possible ideas as to why people might prefer to address an argument or difficult conversation through text. One reason might be to “protect oneself from having to hear another person’s distress, whether it be crying, anger, or strain in their voice”. People might prefer to argue over text because they might not want to hear the other persons reactions such as yelling or crying . Texting also allows people to hide their emotions behind a screen and have control over the conversation. Texting can be good for people who don’t like to get cut off during arguments they can just continuously send messages to get their point across. Texting also prevents people from getting hung up on when arguing through a phone call.

In certain cases texting can be beneficial for communication between people. In Zawn Villines article “ How Texting Changes Communication” she discusses the benefits that come from texting. She goes in depth about how people who are anti-social or shy can gain many communication skills from texting.People who often text are usually uncomfortable with communicating in person. Zawn states “texting increases the frequency of small talk and can be a great asset to people beginning to form a friendship”. Texting allows people to build up the confidence to have actual face to face conversations and begin new relationships. Texting can allow people to avoid long periods of awkward silence on the phone or even in person, with texting people are always able to keep the conversation going. People are able to send and reply to text messages when they please there is no obligation to reply to message right away. For instance if someone is on a phone call they might feel pressure to answer the question or reply instantly but texting gives people the option to think of a response and reply when they are ready. With that being said texting can also lead to instant communication where in some cases people communicate faster through text. Abbreviations and emojis can lead to ”a shortcut” that allows people to “relay a message quickly and effectively”(Villines). Texting allows a great communication alternative for individuals who are in places or situations where they can not talk on the phone, they may not be available to talk on the phone but they can text you need be.

All in all, texting has become a major form of communication. People prefer to text for any little thing it is becoming harder for people to pick up the phone and call someone. Yes texting allows people to reach each other in a faster manor but it does have it’s downfalls as it affects physical communication between individuals. Texting can lead to unnecessary arguments due to misunderstanding and miscommunication, sometimes texting is not the best way to communicate. Texting can be seen as a type of impersonal form of communication because texting lacks feeling and emotions. It is impossible to know ones emotions through text unless they physically text out how they are feeling whether its happy or sad. Texting someone Happy Birthday may not be the same as calling someone and wishing them a Happy Birthday, it is much more personal to receive a phone call instead of text. Texting lacks feeling and physical emotions which is why it is important for us not to solely rely on texting as main form of communication because this can hinder many of our personal relationships.

      Works Cited

Villines, Zawn. “How Texting Changes Communication.” Good Therapy , 26 July 2012, www.goodtherapy.org/blog/texting-teens-adults-communication-0726126.

Schneiderman, Kim. “The Trouble with Texting.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 21 Jan. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-novel-perspective/201301/the-trouble-texting.

Seeker, “ How Texting Affects Your Brain”. Youtube, 2 September 2016. https://youtu.be/K5UzBOiuqec

Seeker, “How Texting Can Ruin Relationships”. Youtube, 6 November 2013. https://youtu.be/DzaU-TinoZQ

Howe, Neil. “Why Millennials Are Texting More And Talking Less.” Forbes, 15 July 2015, 11:00 am, www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2015/07/15/why-millennials-are-texting-more-and-talking-less/#16e9efa35975.

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