Texting Affects Communication Skills

Nowadays, most people would rather talk with their friends via text message rather than face-to-face conversation. The reliance people have on their phones often makes them incapable of holding an actual conversation with those around them. We are so consumed in our phones, whether it be texting or social media, that we forget to pay attention to what is happening around us.

Because many conversations are held through text messages, teenagers sometimes find themselves lost when it comes to talking to others in person. According to The Lance, the lack of true conversations in teenagers’ lives leads to social anxiety and even awkwardness when speaking to people.

Sophomore Kylee Clark gives her opinion on speaking with teachers, saying, “If I’m comfortable with the teacher, then it’s okay. But if it’s someone with higher authority than me and I don’t know them, then I kind of have a panic attack.”

The inexperience kids have with real conversations results in them not having the necessary skills to start or hold a conversation.

Cellphones also cause a great deal of distraction in teenagers’ lives. Working on homework is often interrupted with the ding of a notification coming from the phone, leading the kid to be unfocused on their school work. The constant starting and stopping of homework and lack of concentration can frequently result in poor grades.

Cellphones leave us unfocused in our speaking as well. When texting, it’s easy to jump from one topic of conversation to another. Teens become accustomed to talking in this random way and end up doing so when actually speaking to someone.

Cell phone use is a beneficial considering it allows us to interact with people quickly and when we are unable to speak with one another.

It’s all about learning to balance texting with having face-to-face conversations with each other. And besides, real life emotions are better than the animated.