The Subtext of a Text by Lauren Dingess
Every Friday afternoon, I suffer through the drone and moan of a chemistry lecture dribbling from the mouth of my seasoned professor. Fight the urge, I tell myself. But in the end, I know I can’t resist; I cannot wait until after class. I slide open my second generation Verizon Chocolate and fervently begin to touch each smooth, red key. I am addicted to the thrill of sending a secret message at inappropriate times—I am addicted to the warm vibration of receiving a message in return. I am addicted to the speed and dexterity it takes to type on a Barbie-sized keyboard. Yes, I am addicted to texting. Aren’t we all? The question here is why? When the news is flooded with stories warning the dangers of cell-phone usage, why do we text our neighbor to ask if they have heard the same? Why are we all so infatuated with this “instant” communication that really isn’t very instant at all? Is a tool designed to enhance our lives beginning to hinder them instead? Commercial text messaging was first introduced in 1995, and within ten years, according to AAA, car crashes related to cell phone use increased by over fortypercent, and eighteen states have passed text-messaging bans for drivers (“AAA Aims,” 2009). Not only has texting began to hinder our ability to drive, walking down the street has now become a safety hazard too. CNN reporter Jeanne Moos (2009) covered the story of a fifteen-year-old girl from New York who fell six feet into a manhole while texting; other interviewees admitted they had run into poles, tree branches, and oncoming traffic. Still, there’s always an excuse: “I was checking a date,” or, “I was in a hurry,” but the facts stand firm—people have lost the ability to distinguish appropriate times and places for communication. Texting is the new bad habit. True, the original intention for text messages was to create a tool for convenient conversation. Through rose-colored glasses, it allows users to integrate communication into their daily routines rather than being interrupted by it. But research has suggested that multitasking, in this or any form, may actually be causing long-term damage to the brain (Tamkins, 2009). It seems that more and more, people prefer a text message to a live conversation. Perhaps it has helped in facilitating personal growth—the anonymity factor 23