Texting: When being 'all thumbs' may not be so bad

Kristin Sanders
DTC 375: Language, Text and Technology
Dr. Jason Farman
Jan. 27, 2009
Word count: 1,281

Everyone has a piece of communication technology that they hold near and dear to their hearts. For the older generations, it may be the classic combination of pen and paper or even the telephone. As most of my DTC 375 peers will perhaps write, I also believe that cell phone text messaging will be our generation’s media darling. Loathe though I am to admit this, text messaging has nestled its way into my heart as well.

Marshall McLuhan says that all media pays homage to media before it (McLuhan 180). While text messaging does pay tribute to various communication tools prior to its time (pen and paper; the phone; telegrams; e-mail; instant messaging; and even to some extent ticker tape news wire feeds), texting has evolved to become its own “unique” medium.

I hate the word “unique.” It has been used to the point where its original meaning has been drained of all, well, uniqueness. But to be frank, what other word could so well describe the qualities of texting? Well, convenient, for one. And how about pocket-sized, on-the-go, instantaneous or even inexpensive? Casual and ubiquitous are good too.

Yes, it seems texting, also known as short message service, is everywhere these days. In 2000, the earliest figures available from CTIA, the Wireless Association, 97 million users were utilizing wireless services, with 12.2 million monthly text messages being exchanged. In 2008, that number had rocketed to 262.7 million users and 75 billion message exchanges (CTIA).

Its explosive popularity is not ill-gained either. My generation has been raised on the notion of getting everything now, now, now, and this includes our information. Gone are the days of tracking down Joe’s weekend plans by phone call, answering machine, e-mail or face-to-face interactions with others – you can just zap Joe a quick and informal “wut r u doing this wknd?” and, assuming Joe’s cell phone is glued to his hip, you can probably get an answer within five minutes.

Gone too are the days of awkward forced familial interactions. Think back to your last extended family gathering – how many of the “under 25” set, particularly those in their teens, had their eyes and hands glued to their communication device? Texting has, for some, gone beyond just a communications medium to a serious coping device. It has become a connection to the outside world from a location that, to the user, may be completely undesirable. Speaking of undesirable, how about those services that have blossomed to send fake “emergency” text messages in the event of a blind date gone badly? Before text messaging was widely available, the dating desperate had to fake a phone call, fake sick or escape out the bathroom window on the sly.

Text messaging has even gone into the realm of crime fighting. Community police departments and their respective Crime Stoppers tip lines, from Boston to our own Tri-Cities, have taken to accepting anonymous text message tips about various local seedy happenings (Weiss). “We were finding at crime scenes that while we were setting up investigations, we were seeing more young people who were texting each other” about what they were seeing, said Boston Police Officer Cecil Jones. If the texters were comfortable enough to send messages at the actual crime scene, Crime Stoppers figured, why not capitalize on that comfort and nab a few bad guys in the process? Like tips that are called in over the phone, text messages are filtered through a third party system to preserve the secrecy of the tipper, then forwarded as an e-mail to the police department for follow-up.

As recently as President Barack Obama’s inauguration, the wireless industry was bolstering its communications networks and providing traffic tips with an emphasis on short message systems over voice calls. “Despite all the industry’s efforts to increase network capacity, it’s really important for the public to understand that unusually large crowds can generate congestion and communications delays,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA. “For this reason, we want to remind Inaugural event attendees to do their part in decreasing network demand by texting instead of placing voice calls …” (CTIA).

For all its good aspects (convenience, greater network capacity, ease of access, immediacy), text messaging can have its disadvantages too. Take, for example, the increasing instances of diminished academic integrity, from middle school all the way up through post-graduate education. Memorizing the placement of the letters on the number pads and text messaging has made it easier to zap back and forth the answers to various tests questions while students are mid-exam without the teacher even being aware of what is going on. There’s also the little issue of the slowly-eroding base of formal English. Smiley faces, various lols and truncated spellings have edged their way into college entrance letters, SAT essays and formal term papers.

Confusion is common in message exchanges too. Two lines of text can be misinterpreted for the worse because there wasn’t any emotion to accompany the biting sarcasm. The shortness of the messages can leave too much out of the message or allow someone to read too far into something. Short message services often have a character limit and can literally cut a message in half, leaving out sometimes crucial information.

It’s also really easy to get busted if you conduct illicit business through lines of text. Take the case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who through text message histories and service provider records, was found to have had an affair with his chief of staff, Christine Beatty. That they had the affair wasn’t the bigger issue, however – it was that they had lied about the affair under oath in court.

Text messages, like e-mail, also can be forwarded to other (unintended) viewers. Keep that in mind when you go to tap out your next drunken confession.

And while text messaging packages through various service providers can be inexpensive on a per-unit basis, the charges can stack up for the more enthusiastic (read: young) users. One recent McClatchy news story told of a girl who had managed to write a staggering 14,528 messages in one month. According to a 2008 Nielson study, the average number of monthly texts for ages 13-17 is 1,742 (Hardesty). The family had the foresight to sign up for unlimited text messages. Without that little add-on, at 20 cents per text, the bill would have totaled $2,905.60.

Personally, I’m on a roll if I can hack out 200 text messages per month. I use text messages to keep in touch with my mom (who lives locally), to make wedding-planning plans with my engaged friends and to ask my fiancé if he would pick up a gallon of milk on the way home from work. Sometimes I use it to let distant friends know I’m thinking of them, or to wish someone a happy birthday or holiday while I’m at my work desk or in a lecture hall. If I’m in a hurry and can’t spare even five minutes to call someone, or if I don’t want to speak to someone for longer than 10 minutes, it’s nice to know that a simple text message in between class to ask about weekend plans is usually sufficient.

Will text messaging continue is evolution into something greater, something more physically ingrained in our children’s children? Or will it go the way of the telegram and the ticker tape feeds and slowly be phased out by something flashier and more immediate? Communicative media Darwinism – or rather, McLuhanism – so far seems to be in text messaging’s favor. With media developing and evolving at the speed not of light, but of information, the next five years should reveal even more.


Citations
McLuhan, Marshall. Essential McLuhan. New York: BasicBooks, 1995. 180

“Wireless 101 - Wireless Quick Facts.” CTIA - The Wireless Association. July 2008. CTIA.org. 26 Jan. 2009 .

“Wireless Industry Continues Efforts to Boost Networks in Preparation for Presidential Inauguration.” CTIA - The Wireless Association. 16 Jan. 2009. CTIA. 26 Jan. 2009 .

Weiss, Todd R. “Boston police turn to text messages to fight crime.” Computerworld. 18 June 2008. 26 Jan. 2009 .

Hardesty, Greg. “My daughter racked up 14,528 text messages in one month.” The Vancouver Sun. 24 Jan. 2009. 26 Jan. 2009 .