Don't call me, just text!

In the book Alone Together, Turkle discussed how using the telephone is outdated. Many of the teens she interviewed felt that text messaging was a more factual and quicker way to talk to friends. The other upside to text messaging is the fact that people have the upper hand in the message. There is no need to reply instantly to a text. You have the option of thinking and rethinking the message you want to send before you send it.

This is completely opposite compared to a phone call because when you are physically speaking to someone, you do not have that time to filter what comes out of your mouth. When I think about which I prefer, I would say it just depends. I do not mind talking on the phone, but if I busy or do not have a lot of time to spend "filling gaps" on a phone conversation, then I will send a text message. Also, a quick text to someone shows that person you care about or are thinking about them.

Even though most of the teens in Turkle's book preferred text messaging to phone calls, one high school senior stated he probably needed to start getting used to making a phone call instead of texting. Since he was about to graduate high school, he felt that he needed to build up phone skills and confidence as he prepared to enter college.

When I think about it, teenagers are much different now then when I was one; and it wasn't that long ago! When I was in high school, we had cell phone...the basic kind that made phone calls and sent text messages. We did not have "smart phones", and we were okay with that. My friends and I spent most of our time outside and only used our phones when necessary. We didn't get caught texting in class like most teens now.

By the late 1800s, Alexander Graham Bell made the telephone a reality for Americans as well as the rest of the world. With the addition of long-distance from AT&T, people were excited to have the ability to call someone in Japan if they wanted to. The telephone was a new and fascinating concept to people. Now, it seems as though we've transitioned back to the days of Morse Code (how I view text messages).


The younger generation is going to have to start communicating through phone calls. That is an important skill they need for the rest of their life. It helps build confidence and etiquette. Having the ability to communicate well will help with potential jobs. Most teens feel the way they use phones for non-verbal communication is just fine. There are many issues the evolve with text messaging in teens. Below is a short video that describes what health issues too much texting can cause with teens.