Texting Down a Bad Road

“Back in my day, we didn’t have cell phones.” I know I’m not the only one who has heard this same spiel from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, and teachers. Of course, I have my comebacks and witty replies. However, believe it or not, there is logic to this saying.

“This is just a different generation,” some say, “with different needs.” Since when has texting been a need? It sure seems like a need, considering some teens (including me) text while they eat, talk, run, walk, sit, wait, play, work, test. Some students are risky enough to text while they drive. That’s where I draw the line. Texting is dangerous, especially while driving, and although we have been told countless times about the dangers of texting, we still fail to realize what makes it so hazardous.

Theoretically speaking, if I were a teen who texted while driving, my life and the lives of my family would immediately be put in jeopardy. For example, let’s just say my friend Gerti is throwing a sweet-sixteen at her house Saturday, and everyone’s going to be there. I’m invited! Her house is just minutes away.

Hopping in my car, I notice that I will be a few minutes late to Gerti’s, so I whip out my phone and open up a new, blank text document. As soon as I text in the casual “hey” I hit a tree and bam! I’m dead. True story.

Sure I laugh and poke fun about the dangers of texting while driving, but I really shouldn’t. If I were to pull a survey of Noblesville’s students asking whether or not they text while driving to and from school, the numbers would be outrageous. I don’t even need to mention those dozens of students who wouldn’t answer due to their guilt.

Not many students can recall the last time there has been a texting-while-driving accident at our school. Honestly, I can’t, but the longer we wait, the more we will be shocked when it actually comes.

Thousands of teen deaths occur each year from texting and driving. Students have been told this an innumerable amount of times, and yes, I admit it is getting very annoying. However, it’s true. This is not a fantasy land. We aren’t living in a television. These things really do happen.

What if a teen from Noblesville High School suffered an accident like this? Think of his or her family. Lastly, what about the person that this teenager was texting? Can one even envision the amount of pain and guilt he or she would feel afterwards? Don’t text while driving. The consequences will come, I guarantee it.

Texting lingo you never knew you never knew

As technology becomes increasingly more active in our everyday lives, we have developed a culture for it that’s all our own. Example: the abbreviations used in text messages – the stuff that drives English teachers up the walls. You may be a devoted texter, but do you think you know the whole shebang? Test your skills with a list of texting lingo you never knew you never knew.

?4U ………………………………………………………………………….I have a question for you

143 ………………………………………………………………………….I love you

10X ………………………………………………………………………….Thanks

2G2BT ………………………………………………………………………Too good to be true

^5 …………………………………………………………………………..High-five

831 …………………………………………………………………………..I love you (8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning)

AAK ………………………………………………………………………….Asleep at keyboard (or alive and kicking)

ADIP …………………………………………………………………………Another day in paradise

AIAMU ………………………………………………………………………And I am a monkey’s uncle

AYOR ………………………………………………………………………..At your own risk

BAG …………………………………………………………………………..Busting a gut

BEG …………………………………………………………………………..Big evil grin

BOLO …………………………………………………………………………Be on the look out

C4N ……………………………………………………………………………Ciao for now

DITYID ……………………………………………………………………….Did I tell you I’m distressed?

E2EG ………………………………………………………………………….Ear to ear grin

FC’INGO ………………………………………………………………………For crying out loud

HAC ……………………………………………………………………………Holy animal crackers

ILUM …………………………………………………………………………..I love you man

IWIAM …………………………………………………………………………Idiot wrapped in a moron

LOLH ………………………………………………………………………….Laughing out loud hysterically

MEH …………………………………………………………………………..Meaning a “so-so” or “just okay”

MNC …………………………………………………………………………..Mother nature calls

MTFBWU …………………………………………………………………….May the force be with you

n00b …………………………………………………………………………..Newbie

PU ……………………………………………………………………………..That stinks!

QTPI …………………………………………………………………………..Cutie pie

ST&D ………………………………………………………………………….Stop texting and drive

T+ …………………………………………………………………………….Think positive

TTFN ………………………………………………………………………….Ta ta for now

URA* ………………………………………………………………………….You are a star

VSC ……………………………………………………………………………Very soft chuckle

Y2K …………………………………………………………………………….You’re too kind

Z% ……………………………………………………………………………..Zoo

Abbreviations from Webopeida:  http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

Texting takes away from reality

As technology progresses I have noticed that students (and even adults) will do anything to stay in touch with people through the school and work hours. Students texting under desks or even trying to find a new way to unblock their Facebook. Sometimes you can even catch an adult, who is supposed to be working, texting away as if there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. In the work world I do not think that students will be able to handle real world confrontations with their coworkers, bosses, and even clients.

I cannot help but wonder what the work environment will be like as I grow older. Today, if students cannot sit and actually pay attention in class for an hour and a half seven times a day, I wonder what they will do when they have jobs. Honestly, I do not think people will be able to handle work situations without getting the urge to text or check Facebook. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen someone get in a fight with someone else and instead of going up to them and work it out face to face they send a very apologetic text and everything is alright again. Though that may work in the high school world, I feel like that will not be very effective in the work world.

In the work world, I believe that since everyone seems to have their thumbs glued to their phones or computer, that being able to take a risk to make that big deal or give a presentation will be harder for my generation. Saying from experience, I know it is harder to deal with confrontations because all I want to do is pick up my phone and text it but I know that it will not go over so well in the work force. My future boss would expect me to be able to handle talking to someone face to face without any problems. For adults, getting caught texting on the job or trying to sneak onto Facebook could mean the end of a job or even in some cases a career. For students it means detention and sometimes a high consequence.

I never can really understand what students and adults feel is important that they have to sneak around and not get caught telling someone else. I honestly do not feel that taking a big risk to tell someone something that could wait until the end of the day is worth the consequences.

Illustration from www.clipart.com.

Texting could be detrimental distraction for students

Fingers swiftly striking keys. Send.

Text messaging has rapidly become a vital form of communication for high schoolers. Whether at lunch, on the bus, or even during movies, students’ phones seem to never leave them. It’s no secret that cell phones are nearing the point of necessity in modern society. Sure, technology has come a long way, but just how much is too much?

Text messages are used for just about everything. Someone can find out when soccer practice starts, what the Spanish assignment is, or even whether the new Boys Like Girls album will be worth listening to. However, at some point, texting might become too distracting, and could prove detrimental to academic success when it’s arguably most important. This is high school. The future is not far away.

Sometimes, that history report really needs to be written, but a ringtone starts up, and suddenly, a conversation about what to wear to this Friday’s game takes precedence over presidents. Then again, a phone can come in handy when there’s a question about that pesky Geometry assignment.

Whether texting’s growing popularity is really causing problems for students is up for debate.

“I can multitask,” sophomore Ashtin Wilcoxen said. Some students, like Wilcoxen, can keep the issue under control.

Others, like sophomore Jacklynn Bansbach, seem more tempted by cell phones. “My mom threatens to take my phone away sometimes,” Bansbach said.

With the expanding dependency on cell phones, students texting during class are proving to be a problem in schools. This year, the district has cracked down on its cell phone policy. A single violation now earns students an hour of detention.

“I think the rules are a little harsh, but they work. They’ve stopped me from texting in class,” Wilcoxen said.

Even main campus teacher Mr. Richards has noted a decline in students texting during class. “I think it’s effective,” he said of the new policy.

Think back to all the classic movies documenting the plight of the teenager. Detentions were given for bullying, not texting. Maybe it’s just a sign of the times.

While technology, texting in particular, may seem paramount in modern society, it is still up to students to either use it in moderation or let it consume their lives.