Mobile texting: A technology that has been created for the convenience of communication. But does it really benefit the people? In an article by Lauren Suval, she mentioned that texting hinders the social skills of people. Although texting is usually viewed on a positive note - making communication with anyone easier, Lauren talks about the negative appeal of technology towards the human psychological behaviour. Instead of spending quality time together, some choose to retreat to just mere texting as the main source of communication. At the same time, she mentions that texting ruins their psychological well-being wherein it diminishes their social skills, in terms of character and attitude. The person that chooses to text, over a personal get-together was seen to have a lower self-esteem. Indeed, people choose to text for convenience, but the side-effect it possesses is the destruction or the obstruction of their personal social lives.
Mentioned in Suval's post, she talks of a psychologist named Sherry Turkle that said, “our technological advances are redefining human connection.” After reading her message, I do feel a slight disappointment, not because she is bashing on texting, but because she’s right. The creation of texting has indeed affected everyone’s psychological behaviour: the way they act and at the most, their personality.
Before reading this article, I have to admit that I would often choose texting over meeting up with my friends, again, because of convenience - it makes things much easier in relationships - and at the same time it gives me more confidence in keeping the conversations flowing. But Lauren and Sherry’s notion really got to me. Texting did make my character weak. It made me detest personal confrontations as well as on-the-spot conversations with a "crush" or acquaintance. I’m happy that I came across this article, because it made realize that texting can never replace any friendly or intimate bonding session with anyone in particular. And as Lauren’s message is trying to convey, we should pause our connection with technology even just for a while and improve our life and attitude by spending quality time with the person or people themselves rather than through the means of technology.
After all, texting does not only connect people through means of convenience, but disconnects them at a personal level - the level that I suppose everyone prefers to possess with those that are dear to them.
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