We might not think of it as a problem, but how many times a day do you take your phone to text your friend? Texting can be easily turned from a habit into an addiction without noticing. In “The Joy of Texting”, Lynne Truss states that texting is a “sneaky form of communication”, and it can both simplify and complicate your life. It seems to be more popular among the youth and more preferable than conversations on the phone and, perhaps, even engaging in a face-to-face conversation. Texting is able to make communication much easier among users, because it is quick and efficient. However, we must admit that texting has brought many troubles to our society, as it may harm our health, relationships, academics, or even our own safety.
Texting has quickly evolved from a habit to addiction, which is hard to resist. On average, teenagers send 60-100 texts per day, and they do not even notice how much texting they do (utdallas.edu). Some social media users spend less time interacting face-to-face, as they prefer texting to the real conversation. Nowadays, 32% of people use social networks, while having a meal instead of talking to their families (ProCon.org). It especially affects children and teenagers, as they got used to texting and social media and consider it the most convenient form of communication. More than half of teenagers text their friends daily, while only 25% interact in real life (see Fig. 1). This is a disturbing fact, as texting often replaces face-to-face communication, which prohibits teens from developing their social skills. Sometimes texting even encourages aggressive behavior because of antisocial content, which is sent via texts (utdallas.edu).
Those who are easily distracted better hide their phones while studying. Texting has a negative impact on the process of studying and leads to low grades. Students who use social media a lot have a lower GPA than those who limit using it while studying (ProCon.org). It is also proved that using abbreviations such as “gr8” instead of “great” and other contractions lead to misspellings of common words, which causes illiteracy (Drouin, Davis). In addition, more than half of college students admitted that using “text speak” hinders their ability to remember standard english (Drouin, Davis).
Texting can create unexpected problems many people, which lead to drastic consequences that may influence our lives like our mental health. Teenagers are used to texting each other at night, rather than sleeping. By doing so, it damages their sleep and exposes them to the high risk of developing anxiety. Teens say that they feel a certain pressure and feel as though it is necessary to respond to a message immediately, even if it is very late at night (Moss). In addition, there is also a medical condition called “text neck”, which is caused by the downward angle we hold our heads while texting (Moss 1). The side effects of it include pinched nerves, strained muscles and herniated discs (Moss). Such problems often require surgery and increase the risk of neck’s natural curve distortion. Nevertheless, the neck is not the only part of our body, which is affected by bad posture while texting. Upper back and shoulder problems develop if we do not maintain proper posture while using our phones (Moss). Bad posture can also lead to more shocking troubles, for example, headaches or even heart disease (Moss). It is a well-known fact that you hurt your eyes by spending much time staring at the tiny screen of your phone. This is known as “computer vision syndrome”, and, despite the name, it relates to texting or otherwise using your phone (Moss). It may cause eye dryness, blurry vision and eyes strain, so it is vital to have a break when using your phone.
Many have built their relationships with others via using mediums such as texting, however the very same medium that created the relationship can ruin it as well. People often text things, which are better to be clarified in a face-to-face conversation. It was mentioned by Truss in her article, when she talks about news, which is inappropriate to text as well as leave on an answering machine. Furthermore, many people pay attention to their phone more than to their date, which is simply offensive and rude. According to a research, most women think that relationships that involved texting as a way to apologize or make important decisions are of a lower quality, while most men think that very frequent texting in the relationships define it as unstable (Moss)
Sometimes we may not realize that simple things may cause a grave danger to our lives and those around it. One second of distraction while driving just to reply to a message may turn into a fatal mistake. Texting while driving has led to many terrible accidents, and is a growing concern among society. It is caused mainly by three types of distraction: when you take your eyes off the road looking at your phone screen, when you take your hands off the wheel to hold the phone, and when you take your mind off the road thinking about the message you received (cdc.gov). According to the statistics, nine Americans are killed every day from accidents that involved distracted driving, such as texting or using a cellphone (Schumaker). In the US, 33% of people reported using their phone for texting while driving, and 40% of teenagers said they were passengers in a car whose driver put them in danger by using a cellphone (Schumaker). It is a fact that a driver can safely look away from the road for only 2 seconds, while sending a text message or checking a phone for new message usually takes 5 seconds or more (Schumaker). In 2013, 341,000 motor vehicle crashes that involved texting were reported (Schumaker). According to the 2012 survey, the age group of people who tend to text the most while driving is 21-24 (Schumaker). It means that the youth especially are affected by this problem and are the most prone to commit this potentially fatal mistake. 6 out of 10 teen crashes are directly a result of distracted driving, while 12% of those teens were guilty of using a cellphone while driving (see Fig. 2). That is why steps should be taken in order to prevent such accidents and protect the public. Many states and provinces are introducing laws, for example, banning texting while driving or raising awareness among teenagers during their training to get a driver license (cdc.gov). Recently, Canada has started working on measures directed at raising penalties for distracted driving. Since June 1, 2016, British Columbia drivers, who are distracted or texting while driving, will be fined with a ticket doubling to $368 (Li, Johnson). The B.C. has taken this step to bring this problem to public attention and increase the awareness among drivers (Li, Johnson). By imposing stiffer penalties for distracted driving BC is hoping to deter against distracted driving and accomplish their end goal, ensure the safety of the public.
However, we cannot deny that texting is one of the most convenient forms of communication. It is fast, reliable and available for anyone. If a person does not have the time to interact with somebody face to face, or just needs to send a quick message, texting would be a perfect choice. It often improves people’s relationships by letting them stay in touch despite the distance between them. It helps spread the news and deliver information in a few seconds, which is a doubtless advantage. Still, this advantage focuses on only one sphere; when disadvantages of texting relate to different aspects of life have a stronger influence.
In conclusion, although texting may appear to be harmless on the surface can actually endanger our lives on both a mental and even physical level. Nevertheless, we do not have to refuse to write text messages due to the benefits texting has. We just need to remember to limit the amount of time we spend on texting when we go out and join other people to have fun in real life. We should also make sure that texting does not create a risk to our health or a danger situation on a road. That is how we will enjoy all benefits of texting as a modern and helpful form of daily communication.
Works cited
ProCon.org. "Social Networking ProCon.org." ProCon.org. N.p. 29 June 2016. Web. 26 July 2016.
Moss, Gabrielle. “5 Worrying Ways Texting Affects Your Health, Your Relationships, and Your Brain”. Bustle.com. N.p. 20 Nov 2014. Web, 25 July 2016.Schumaker, Erin. “10 Statistics That Capture the Dangers of Texting and Driving.” The Huffington Post. Huffingtonpost.com. N.p. 7 Jul. 2015. Web, 25 July 2016.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Distracted Driving. Cdc.gov. N.p. n.d. Web, 25 July 2016.Li, Wanyee and Johnson, Lisa. “B.C. more than doubles penalty for distracted driving.” Cbc.ca. N.p. 9 May 2016. Web. 25 July 2016Drouin, Michelle and Davis, Claire. “R u txting? Is the Use of Text Speak Hurting Your Literacy?” Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne. N.p. n.d. Web, 25 July 2016Utdallas.edu. “Study Finds Antisocial Texting by Teens Linked to Bad Behavior.” Utdallas.edu. N.p. 10 Sep 2013. Web, 25 July 2016.Fig.1. Lenhart, Amanda. "Teens, Technology and Friendship". Pew Research Center. pewinternet.org. 16 Aug 2015. Web, 26 July 2016.Fig.2. Mosbergen, Dominique. "Alarming Dashcam Footage Suggests Distracted Driving Causes More Than Half Of All Teen Crashes: Study." The Huffington Post. Huffingtonpost.com. Web, 26 July 2016.
