4. Texting: A New way to Communicate

     Texting. We all do it, or at least most people with a cell phone do. So what is it really? When I first got a cell phone, a birthday present in sixth grade-so maybe 2002, no one texted. Most of my friends did not have cell phones, so the people I would call were Mom and Dad. By 7th grade, cell phones had become a bit more popular and I think I sent a total of 10 texts that year. By 8th grade I used texting a bit more, but not nearly as much as I do now. On average, I send and receive several thousand texts a month. I think my record is somewhere around 5000. Now to some people this may be a lot, an average of sending/receiving 166 texts a day, but there are definitely people who text more than I do in a month.

      Texting is like a whole new form of communication, complete with its own little language and interpretations. That's the hardest part of texting, you do not necessarily know the unspoken intonations and implications of a text. If I sent someone a text saying, "nice outfit you are wearing" it could be taken several ways.

1. I truly think its a nice outfit and want to compliment them.   
2. I am trying to be sarcastic, and in fact think the outfit is either hilarious or hideous
3. I do not care about the outfit, I am just trying to start conversation

     There are hundreds of different ways one could interpret the "nice outfit you are wearing" text. Most times when someone sends a text, the person on the receiving end knows the intonation. But sometimes they do not. When this happens, several things can result. If someone does not know what the intonation of the text is, they could ask for clarification. However, the more likely result is that the person on the receiving end interprets the text wrong, and has the wrong impression of the implications of the sender, good or bad.

      In the textual world, it is difficult to convey emotions. Some people use emoticons to try to get their point across.
     Example:  blah blah :)    would convey happiness or approval.
     Example:  blah blah :(    would convey sadness or disappointment.
Those are just the simple ones that almost anyone could figure out, but there are many more. Texting is a new way to communicate, it does not require voice or sound, just the ability to navigate your way on a cell phone keyboard. It is convenient because it is silent, one can text virtually anywhere they have access to their phone. I rely on texting to communicate with my friends. If I want to finalize plans, I text. If I want to know what someone is doing, I text. If I want a more lengthy response, I will make a phone call. But most times I just want a quick answer, and that's why I text.