3/6/2016
Writing 121
Professor Christofili
The Impact of Text Messaging
Now days in a world full of technology, cell phones are slowly changed the way we communicate with others. Almost everybody I know has a cell phone, whether they actually use half of the features that the phone is made for is another story. The most popular use for cell phones is text messaging. This is an instant messaging service that allows people to communicate back and forth very quickly and almost effortlessly, to others all around the world. The way we hold our overall social skills, our overall health, and the way we manage our relationships have all changed thanks to the popularity of text messaging. What are the positive and negative benefits to …show more content…
Young people often feel the need to answer their phone at any time creating an increased distraction while driving, walking, or even sitting in the classroom. In 2009 a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study that placed a camera in trucks and cars and monitored their driving over thousands of miles. The results were that texting increased the risk of an accident 23 times as opposed to people who weren’t texting or using their cell phone. That is a very scary number, as car accidents can be pretty serious situations and are something that should be avoided. Texting simply reduces situational awareness. Some people have even walked into poles or have walked into the middle of the street only to get hit by a car because they were sending a message on their phone and not paying attention. “This pressure to open a text can keep people in a certain state of awareness that can keep us up at night. We are expecting a message response from another person, so it can make it hard to relax to go to sleep at night,” (Romeo Vitelli). Text messaging also impacts student academically, creating easier ways to cheat on homework or tests. Students may not have to put as much effort in and can easily communicate with others about the homework. In the classroom it is fairly obvious to the teacher who is texting in class and who is actually paying attention to the lesson which can lead to participation point deductions or the phone being taken