There are many advantages to text messaging, Instead of calling a friend after 10PM to see if they are still awake, you can just send them a text – if they don’t respond they are more than likely catching some Zs. You can sneak a little love message out during class or while at work and best of all you can still communicate when you have Laryngitis.
Call me an old fart – but when it comes to true life interaction, face-to face or even a simple phone CALL is the only way to go. With text messaging, expressions and verbal articulation are lost – LOL – ILY & IMU can only say so much. A SRY or sad face is a poor substitute for compassion when someone is heart broken. The same goes for work etiquette – you wouldn’t send your boss a text message letting him/her know you’re sick…. or maybe you would, and in that case you are probably one of the 8.6% unemployed. Would you text message a break up? It’s all a matter of tact and accepting personal responsibility.
Just another thought, you might want to avoid texting anything you might regret someone reading later. It’s much safer to have the full blown argument with your significant other, face-to-face or at the very least on the phone, It could save you costly legal fees or worst….. time in the big house.
So in closing, some things need to be left to personal interaction. Text messaging has given us a quick and easy way to interact with others on the fly, but it has left us with more responsibility. Common sense and good judgment are essential when typing with your thumbs – the phone and the screen may be small, but the consequences might not.
PS (every-time I received a LOL from my buddies, it made me uncomfortable – I could not figure out why they were sending me “Lots Of Love” )