SANGSUKIAM 1!

Metta Aim Sangsukiam

Ms. Orana Meenongwha

English 10/10:4

May 25, 2017

The effect of text messaging on teenagers

Introduction

Text messaging is a fast, easy, convenient, and an easy way to multitask ( Grinter & Eldrige,
2001). Nowadays, in the rushing world we lived in, where everybody seems to have a quick and
easy lifestyle. There is no denying that text messaging is the great answer for people to
communicate, especially teenagers. According to the Pew Research Centers, about 75 percent of
12- to 17-year-olds from worldwide that owned cellphones use text messaging. As we walk in the
street, we can see teenagers texting on the phone. Even on our phones itself, text messages will be
sent and received more than hundred times a day.

Text messaging tend to play the big role in communication. We all need a quick yes or no
rather than waiting for the answer on the phone call to be picked up. It is clear that text messaging
have a great influence on teenager. After school meeting would be easy by just texting a person
Lets hanging out. And Where should we meet? would be the fast way to ask for the place. Even
the shopping time, text messaging can help making decisions by just text the friends for their
opinion on what to buy. Texting messaging can be the good choice to start a conversation with
someone new online, or even a crush too. People also make benefits from texting by created an app
for finding partners.

But the important thing to remember is, everything has two sides. Even though how useful
text messaging is, it contains a lot of harmfulness that can slowly destroy a person that using it in
the wrong place and wrong time. The radiation form the screen while texting can harm to eyes
easily. Texting message even can cause car accident. Also, in this faceless communication, it is hard
to know whether what the person we text with are doing, or who they are. Lots of news on
television showed the number of teens that have been in danger because of text messaging. This
research paper will focus on the effect, both good and bad effect, of text messaging and to be the
guideline for teenagers.
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Advantage Of Text Messaging

Text messaging, or digital storytelling, is now the handy communicator people can use
everywhere to talk, discuss, argue, spread news, or to share interests. The user can communicate to
anyone minutes to minutes by just using texting apps. The biggest reason why text messaging
became teens favourite is its property that is simple to use, and quickly to communicate. Among
teenagers, text messaging is one of the best tool to communicate because it is convenience to use .
Teenagers have adopted text messaging as their primary form of text-based communication,
preferring it even over e-mail ( Lenhart, 2009). Comparing to phone call that ringing unpredictably.
Sometimes it is hard to pick up because the sound may interrupt others, or the receiver is
inconvenience to talk in the moment. By email either, from the research, the daily open rates for
email is about 15 - 20% and is more likely to be in spam folder before anyone have check it.
However, text messaging are read within 15 minutes after sending texts. Text messaging also makes
teenagers feels trendy, with cute emoji and stickers that is increase the entertainment while texting.
Besides, text messaging can help saving money with free downloaded text messages app. It can
save battery too for teenagers to use less than a minute to text. While teenagers are at school, they
can use text messages as the reminder of schoolworks, the group chat with friends for todays place
to hangout, or even use for the memories recorder to work, because the fact that all the conversation
will stay on the phone as chat history. Text Messaging can be a good secret keeper too. By texting,
no one can hear what the user saying, only the texter themselves privately. Unexpectedly, text
messaging can used in medical therapy such as Social Therapy. The experiments showed that the
patients with mental illness felt more connected and had more self-loving when they received text
messages from the doctor to take care of themselves. Whenever teenagers feels alone where there
are nobody around them, they can simply text friends, family, and strangers. Some teens even use it
as the way to find partners for life. Teenagers tend to be less lonely in the the world of texting. No
matter who they are, no matter how they looked like in the real world. It is an escape to meet new
people. Text messages is always 24 hours up for the people who can or cannot afford,or any skin
colours. People on the phone are less likely to judge by the appearances. It is undoubtedly for
teenagers to preferred text messaging over any kind of communications. Teenagers life is so much
easier with text messaging.

Disadvantage Of Text Messaging

Now text messaging become a routine for teenagers to communicate. Whenever teens find
something that need to be said, they can just type it and send to their friends immediately, no matter
where they are in the world. Text messaging seems to be the great answer for teenagers. But
remember, using anything too much in the wrong place and time, can turn out to be the bad, with
plenty of harmfulness. Text messaging contains a lot of disadvantages to all the texter that use it in
the wrong way. In 2009, Dr. Scott Frank, director of the Master of Public Health Program at Case
Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has been studying behaviour of the teenage patient
who texted 120 more times on the average school day. With too much texts activity, the patient
became Hyper texting, which is the condition for people who cannot stop texting. When the hyper
texters got do not have the phone with them, they will feel lost or incomplete. Some of the patient
even admitted that text messaging is the most important thing in their lives, and they would get
anxious because they are not be able to text. Texting nonstop can keep teenagers up at late night too.
One of the patient said that when the phone vibrating at night, even though he is awake from sleep,
he felt popular to have someone texting at that moment, it mean that people needs him. But, the
disturbing sound at night can cause teenager to lose sleep and worry about the texter on the phone
more than their own sleep time. Because of less sleep, teenagers will be likely to have high levels of
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stress and depression and also tend to miss more school from illness that come from not enough
sleep behaviour. Texting at night in the dark also harm to an eye with the blue light from the phone
that can destroy the retina. The radiation from the phone also can damage the brain and nerve
system. Ears can got affected too, with the vibrating sound that may be loud. Texting can cause
thumb pain in the muscle while the thumb is typing in the keyboard. Text messaging can be harmful
to an individual teenager. On the other hand, not only teenager that suffer from texting problems.
There are people in many ages who have problem with texting, too. People tend to use text
messaging everywhere in our society. Even in the bus, nobody actually talk to each other anymore.
most of all the people are starring at the phones, texting to others. This action can reduce face-to-
face communication because the fact that people can text to avoid talking. Texting can reduce
teenagers social skill when they got less opportunity to actually live in the society in real life.
Besides, when teenagers are texting, they may be not aware of the surroundings, whether what is
happening, or who are around right now. Text messaging also leads to poor writing skill. To type the
whole long word to people on the phone is boring and wasting time. Teenagers are often shorten the
word in order to spell it faster, such as the word see you have changed into c u to make the
word looks simple. This way of writing can affect teens academic performance, teenagers can get
confused with grammars and formal language to use. Texting language can be misunderstood
because teenagers do not use the correct form of sentence. In addition, by just texting, it can cause
car accident to death. Right now where people in many ages own the car, as they driving in the busy
street with many cars out there, danger can happen anytime without the driver paying attention to. If
the driver text while driving, the car may got hit, or even worse, that car can hit someone in the
street. Texting while driving can hurt the driver themselves, and the other people at the same time.
The harmfulness of texting messaging can also cause crime, kidnapping, and raping. Who knows,
all these things can come to a person that just do nothing but texting on the phone.

Guideline To Use Text Messaging

After teenagers understand both advantages and disadvantages of text messaging that they are using
in daily life, they can developed these knowledge in order for themselves to use text messaging
wisely. It is true, text messaging gives teenagers convenience. No one can deny that communication
these days is so much easier with text messaging. But while text messaging contains this much of
advantages, it can be harmful to the users very badly, as the disadvantages that has mentioned
above, teenagers can be in danger because of text messaging, in case they use it in the wrong way.
Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines (Robert H. Schuller, 2015) As all the harmfulness
of using text messages, right now, teenagers should ask themselves carefully, how should they deal
with text messaging? First, to use text messaging, teenagers should pay close attention to their
texting behaviour. Whether they are over texting, usually text in the dark at night, or they are texting
while they are driving. All the things might do can lead to the serious problem caused by text
messaging. Teenagers should be able to know themselves on when and where should they text. If
they are driving, texting should be avoided. By the problem that texting can reduce teens chance to
be in communication, teenagers should use text messaging when necessary, it can be the time they
want to meet up with friends, or to text someone about the upcoming presentation at school. So that
way, in the spare time, teenagers can go out and meet people in real life, face to face
communication in society can be developed. Also, the other problem that should be concerned of is
that, teenagers tend to have low academic performance and writing skills by texting. Teenagers
should take more time to look for the right way to spell the word. By shorten words, teenagers may
find it easier to type. But it can have long term consequence with academic performance. Teens can
have hard time writing words or sentences in the correct form. This can effect teenagers future
including to enter the college they have their eyes on. The best way to solve the problem is to have
teenager knowing who they are texting or talking to, and with that person they communicate with,
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which kind of language should teenagers use, formal, informal etc. Teenagers should always know
the propriety of the society. Further more than text messagings affect in languages. The car
accident problem that have shown a lot in the news. One of the cause of car accident is texting
while driving. To avoid car accident, when teenagers need to communicate with somebody, rather
than texting them, phone call is a good choice. Or if the text have to be sent immediately, teenagers
should pull the car over to finish texting, in case there are the parking area to stop driving for a
while. On the phone itself too, says that knows the face cannot tell heart. Whenever teenagers find
strangers on texting apps, they should text the stranger carefully. Not to share anything that is too
personal for their own safety. If teenagers feel uncomfortable to talk, they can hit the block botton
that have set to make sure texted can avoid and stop texting with the opponent. To be summarised,
if teenagers know where and when to use text messaging, also who they should or should not text
with, then teenagers are using text messaging in the right way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, text messaging is the digital way of communication which became one of the best
answer for teenagers in order to communicate. When teenagers need to talk to anyone far away,
they can just using one phone. First, typing and second, sending. This way, less than a minute, text
messages will be send to the testers phone immediately, quick and easy enough to be preferred.
Text messaging gave teenagers convenience in their daily life. Text messaging also can help saving
money, time, and battery. By texting, teenagers will loose no money with the texting app that can be
free downloaded. Short text messages takes only a second to be typed and sent. Compared with
email and calling that takes time for the receiver to see the notification. In school, text messaging
can be useful for teenagers in a lot of ways, to be the reminder of school works, or to send the quick
message for the place to meet up. Also, text messaging is the way to communicate without
disturbing anyone, teens can text anywhere easily. After the advantage of text messaging, it seems
that text messaging the definitely a good way to communicate. But the harmfulness of text
messaging can be shown too, in case teenagers use it too much. Teenagers tend addicted to phone
because of texting. They get worried about people on the phone to text with. Sometimes, this can
cause teenagers to lose sleep too. When teenagers stay up late for texting, they will not get enough
sleep time and also, it can destroy teenss eyes from the light from the phone. It can highly effect on
teenss learning skill and responsibility. Text messaging can lead to teenagerss low academic
performance, teens may lost ability to write the language correctly and formally. Teenagers often
shorten the word that can get confusing by the receiver. The worst part of the disadvantage of text
messaging is that it can cause the accident such as car accident, if teenagers texting while driving,
or if they texting while crossing the road, teenagers can got hit by the car. In society too, text
messaging can reduce face to face communication because of people pay attention to texting more
than the real people in front of them. To be the guideline for the problem from texting, and in order
for teenagers to use text messaging wisely. Before fixing anything, Teenagers should survey
themselves first. Whether there are any texting habit that can be harmful to them in the future.
Teenagers should be aware of themselves of when and where they should texting. They should not
text in the dark at night or while driving. Also teenagers should try to use the correct language form
to text. Also, teens should be careful with who they are texting with, strangers on text message app
can cause so much of danger. Because the thing that nobody pay close attention to, can turned out to
be the big problem without knowing.
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References

Heidi Hemmer (2009). Impact of Text Messaging on Communication. Retrieved from

http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=jur

Ashley Campbell (2004). The Effects of Text Messaging on Students Literacy. Retrieved from
http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/handle/10342/4582

Christopher Butler (February 2, 2009). OMG txting is gr8! Retrieved from

https://www.newfangled.com/the-effect-of-text-messaging-on-language/

Aaron Parson (2017). The Effects Of Text Messaging On English Grammar. Retrieved From
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/the-effects-of-text-messaging-on-english-grammar

Melani Deyto (February 18, 2015). 6 Benefits Of Text Messaging:

Why Your Organization Should Use SMS. Retrieved from
https://blog.textmarks.com/benefits-of-text-messaging/

Serm Murmson (n.d.). What Are the Advantages of Email, Texting or Instant Messaging?
Retrieved from http://itstillworks.com/advantages-email-texting-instant-messaging-5001.html

Jeremy Davidson (July 19, 2013). What Disadvantages Do Teens Have While Texting?
Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/1005968-disadvantages-teens-texting/