While some students consider texting effective, others find it distracting and detached

By Laura Peng
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Junior Mark Huber texts continuously throughout the day: during meals, between class periods and after school. With an unlimited number of text messages on his phone plan, Huber said he sends and receives a total of around 9,000 to 12,000 messages each month.

“Texting lets you talk to multiple people at the same time,” Huber said. “In our society today, people want to be in constant communication with everyone.”

Huber’s idea may not be far off. According to the Wireless Association, a nonprofit organization that specializes in research related to wireless communication, Americans sent just under 50 billion text messages each month in 2007. In 2008, however, the number more than doubled and reached 110 billion.

The Pew Research Center, a nonprofit research organization, released a study in December 2009 suggesting that teens prefer more rapid means of communication and drive the increase in text messaging statistics.

According to Brian Hayes, a journalism instructor at Ball State University, effective communication is not limited to face-to-face conversations.

“It depends on what you are trying to communicate and who you are trying to communicate with,” Hayes said via e-mail. “If you are looking for quick interpersonal communication, I think texting is best. It is easy and sort of impersonal. You know you will not get stuck in a 10-minute conversation with someone on the phone when you can just text short responses back and forth. Plus, it allows you to multitask fairly easily.”

Huber said the freedom to multitask while text messaging is one of its most convenient aspects. However, he said it can become a distraction both in class and at home.

“Especially when I’m in the middle of a conversation with someone, I check it as often as possible because I feel bad if I don’t respond right away,” Huber said, “but it does take a lot longer to finish my homework.”

Hayes said, “Texting can become a distraction depending on the situation. I know some parents who have ‘no texting zones’ in their homes, like at the dinner table.”

Nevertheless, Huber said he plans to continue his current habits, especially because text messaging allows him to keep in touch with friends without having to turn off the television or put down a textbook.

However, Huber said a few of his friends consider text messages impersonal and prefer he calls.

“I don’t think the conversations I have with my friends over text are more impersonal than in person,” he said. “Most of the time we talk about normal topics, but it can get deep. It depends on who you’re talking to and what the situation is.”

Junior Jeremy Weprich, who said he averages 5,000 text messages each month, said, “While I am a culprit of heavy texting habits, I still prefer phone conversations and face-to-face communication.”

While many students including Huber consider text messaging an effective means of communication in almost all situations, Weprich represents those who consider it inappropriate for serious conversations.

Weprich said, “When serious topics come up in a text, I often wonder why my friend chose not to tell me face-to-face. Texting something of heavy subject matter is easier than speaking it in person or over the phone because so much emotion and reaction is hidden. Sometimes, I’ll let them take the easy way out and I will continue the text conversation, but other times I call them in reply.”

Huber said he expects to decrease the number of text messages he uses in college, but for now, he plans to continue his current text messaging habits.

“With all of the free time college students get between classes, I’ll probably spend more time hanging out with my friends than texting them,” he said. “But for the rest of high school, the numbers will probably stay the same.”