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Debate: The effects of texting on the next generation.
By excluding our earliest communication channels such as sound and visual cues (non-verbals), are we not creating a species unequipped for interpersonal communication?
Furthermore, producing a byproduct of negative dependency for avoidance, and ultimately alienation?
Closing Statement from Nicholas Ashley
I would like to extend my earnest gratitude on the thoughts of all who participated, your insight has been valuable and as a whole might be included in a project/paper I am working on for school; I thank you all.
Interesting points made by all, as thought provoking directions guided the discussion into areas I had not thought of yet; some I had. I found it interesting that some din not feel texting affects our ability to interpersonally communicate and that we needn’t be concerned; even chalked it up to similar hysteria resembling past generations. Others found an effect possible, perhaps warranting further exploration. I would have to agree with concerns written language and texting is having a negative effect on the ability to cohesively formulate a properly constructed sentence (academic criteria), I see evidence of this all over campus; though research shows otherwise. Interesting point, people are born with the ability to communicate non-verbally (NV) but most do not control nonverbal cues. However, NV’s are so important to communication thus replaced with symbols during texting in order to exchange feelings normally visualized through body language. Also, Social Anxiety Disorder caused by texting (lack of) effecting drug usage; interesting possibility. Likewise inference, we do not create our own world, therefore we are not in control of our forms of communication; curious. For the record, I agree we would be wise NOT to text and drive!
Once again I would like to express a warm thank you for your time and thoughts and I hope I covered the essence of our discussion in my closing statement
Ciao / Nicholas
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David Hamilton 50+
sterling brewer
i'm sorry if i'm coming across as rude, i just really don't understand.
could you clarify about it directly contributing to these things?
David Hamilton 50+
As to the connection between SAD and technology... It doesn't exist... SAD and texting.... It very much exists. Why are you typing with your thumbs when you could be having an actual conversation? It's a weird way of remaining a bit more detached from the person you are communicating with.
If you start texting people at 12 for example, when your social skills are not yet fully developed, you are going to spend far less time practicing the skill of conversation, than if you call people. That makes conversation a more rare experience, and a more difficult one, you are less comfortable with. The less time you spend conversating, the worse you are at it. The worse you are at conversation, the more negative experiences you have while conversating. The more negative experiences you have conversating, make you more likely to avoid conversations in the future. The more conversations you avoid, the worse your SAD is/gets.
Derek Young 30+
David Hamilton 50+
To me... This is common sense. If you spend less time talking to people, and more time texting, especially starting at 12... You will get worse at talking to people. It's a skill, you have to work on it to get good at it. The worse you get at the skill, the less you will want to talk, the more you will want to text, and the more out of practice you will get with actual conversation.
As your skill atrophe's, you become intimidated by social situations, and begin to feel foolish and out of place. It seems only natural that this is a major contributing factor to the huge rise in social anxiety disorder to me. But, no most psychologists would insist, we're "discovering an already existent phenomena"... Not creating a new one.