OMG ILMAO! UR AWESO. G2G POS. <3
Several years ago I would have been pulling out my decoder to figure out what the heck you just said to me. These days it's just common lingo. Text. That's how kids communicate today. Is this a good thing? Aaron and I have been having the great texting debate lately.
It all started with us when I put unlimited texting on my phone. If my kids are going to get a hold of me that is how they are going to do it. It is also how I do most of my communicating with my sisters. It's cheaper than calling and less invasive in my day. Instead of sitting on the phone for an hour I can pop off a text here and there, when I have time, and still be doing other things. I like it. Aaron hates it.
Aaron feels that it is "one of those things that is annoying to everyone but you", that you never fully have the person's attention. Even the sound of my phone beeping with an incoming text can be enough to annoy him some days. He rarely gets upset when I am talking on the phone for an hour to my sister out of town, but if he sees me texting..... irritated.
My point of view: If I am texting then you have my attention 90% of the time. Only when I am actually reading and sending a text do you not have it AND, I don't have to read/answer right away. I can get to it when I get to it. Talking on the phone you have 0% of my attention for as long as I am carrying on that conversation.
Aaron's point of view: At least if you are talking on the phone I know you are in the middle of a conversation and I can just wait for you to be finished. If you are texting then we keep getting interrupted and I don't feel like have have your total attention.
Truthfully I can see his point of view. But honestly, I think he is an old dog having a hard time learning a new trick. To watch Aaron try to send a text is like watching a three year old trying to ride a bike. He is slow, he stumbles over himself all of the time trying to find the correct buttons and gets frustrated easily. If he would just get on and learn to ride the dumb thing he would realize it's not as bad as he thinks.
I am very interested in hearing the opinions of everyone out there. What do you think about texting? I feel if I am going to keep up with my children it is important to keep up with their technology. I am not going to be like my mother, who will never read this because she doesn't really know how to use her computer properly. She never even checks email. Ever. Who doesn't have email? See what I mean? I don't want to be the one they say "she doesn't even text". I talk to my kids, and sisters for that matter, way more through text than I would other wise. It keeps me connected.
Am I just being inconsiderate to those around me? Truthfully, I really don't text that often. Hardly ever actually. But, the way Aaron reacts you would think I was on my phone 24/7. Silly boy.
Tell me what you think, I really want to know. Help us end this debate on whether texting is the way of communication these days and if we need to jump on the boat or not.
TAFN. C U TAM. TFS! TC and have a wonderful day :o)
Here is the irony of this post. About an hour after posting I got a new client - via text! How funny is that.
ReplyDeleteI must say Weldon and I probably agree with Aaron on this one! I am not totally against texting. I think texting can be great, but it is really annoying when someone you are spending time with is constatly saying "just a minute, I need to answer this" and talking to who knows who while you are talking to them. Or Like yesterday I had to sit at the exit of a parking lot waiting for a woman who was texting and walking at the same time to slowly meander in front of my car and not even notice. Wouldn't talking be faster in that case? Obviously it's important to keep up with your kids, but I have noticed that there are a lot of adults and teenagers that go over board with it. (I'm sure you are not one of them though.) Just as with everything, self-control is good with texting too.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'm sure this will comepletely blow your mind, but Weldon and I have never texted once in our lives. I don't know this awesome texting lingo, it sounds like a computer talking to me. And we are still able to communicate with others just fine. I guess I'm not "Hip". But, you never know what could happen in the future. We'll see.
That's my opinion on it.
THIS IS JEFF...
ReplyDeleteI have to take mom's side on this...obviously ;) Texting is a quick and efficient way to communicate with someone when a phone call is out of the question (ie: at work. Don't judge me, I don't sacrifice work ethic for text messages!).
As for others being annoyed with a "texter", you have every right to be. When someone is hanging out with you, they need to actually be doing that, not dividing their attention between people. However, if you walk into a texting conversation, you need to respect that the other person is already engaged with someone else...just as if they were making a phone call.
There is a certain etiquette that needs to be adhered to with texting and many people ignore it. Bottom line, texting isn't annoying but people are (in general anyway).
I agree with Jeff and Kathy. I had never texted in my life until about a couple months ago when Glen and I got a texting plan. It is so convenient and much less invasive in my life. If I want a specific question answered but don't have time for a conversation, texting is great. If I need to get a hold of Glen but it's not an emergency texting is great because he can answer me when he gets a chance when he is working. I have even texted Henry's teacher to tell her he was going to be absent. It is a convenience that should be utilized but not gone overboard with.
ReplyDeleteAs for the interuption factor, it's a cell phone. You have it with you all the time. It is going to interrupt you at any moment with even a phone call. If you are going to be hanging out with someone, answering texts or calls that are not of a higher priority, i.e., significant other, children, emergencies, should not be responded to until an appropriate time.
As for the texting lingo, I don't understand it myself and would need a texting to English dictionary just to figure out what Kathy said in this post. When I text I still use proper English and punctuation. It's the transcriptionist in me, I can't help it.
That is my 2 cents on this matter and I hope to get a text from you soon!
Oh, and Aaron, my 4 and 6 year old chilren can text. It isn't that hard. You just need to take the plunge and start communicating with your family on a more technologically sophisticated level. Love ya!
ReplyDeleteI've never had so many people text me as I did the day after this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy...much appreciated. :o)
Texting is the new way of communication but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. So much is lost in texting and I don't just mean spelling and language skills. There is a lot of communication that goes on through body language and voice inflection that can never happen through a text message. Like Kristina, if I were going to text it would be in regular English like an e-mail, but I don't really think I'll be texting much as I don't like it. I would much rather hear a person's voice when I am talking with them.
ReplyDelete