By: Hannah Shaffer, Opinion Editor


“I cnt w8 2 c u 2nite.” “Ik! Omg its gonna b so much fun!” Half the people reading this can translate this, and probably frequently use this like a second language. The other half of Americans would most likely take ten minutes staring at their screen with a bewildered expression and the inability to process what has been said. As sad as it is, yes, this is what society has come to. We people have become too lazy to talk properly, and they have begun relying a disturbing amount on text messaging.


Society has lost its ability talk face-to-face with other human beings. Nowadays, among teenagers, relationships are based way too much on texting. It’s the new way to ask people out, to break up with them, or to share puppy-loving texts back and forth. Even among friends, many fights occur over text messaging. There is no “in-person” confrontation anymore, strictly mobile fighting which makes things only worse. One would be amazed how much quicker a fight could end if they would deal with their problems in person, rather than over the phone.


The most disturbing realization is when one sees it’s own society becoming too lazy to type words correctly, or use the proper punctuation and begin using numbers like “2” for “2night” or shortening phrases; most common used one is “omg” for “oh my gosh” or “lol” for “laugh out loud.” 12 years of education are not given to American citizens for them to show how unintelligent they can talk and look over texting. The sad thing is, is that many committed “texters” have become immune to this new language, which continues to expand to more and more uneducated babble.


Many say that texting is quick and easy. Or when with friends, it’s a better situation because one can physically be with their friends, while also talking to a boyfriend over the phone. So, in other words, it’s a win-win situation. Wrong. People, more specifically teenagers, need to learn when it’s time to put the phone down and actually interact with the ones their with. It’s incredibly annoying and frustrating to be talking to someone who is texting and about a minute later, they will put down their phone and say, “what did you just say?” It’s time to end this madness and start acting like the intelligent Americans we’re supposed to be.


Texting isn’t bad in all situations, of course. When one is bored and just needing a simple conversation, there is no harm in shooting a friend a message. Or, if one has questions pertaining to a sport, it is alright to text the coach quick and simply ask. However, when it gets in the way of how you communicate between a mobile device, and face-to-face interaction, that’s when it’s time to cool down. As civilized human beings, the cyber fights and break ups or make ups have to come to a stop. The true meaning of communicating has to come through, otherwise, society will only worsen as the technology does the same.