My dad used to write five-page letters to his friends and spent up to $10 on a phone conversation with his parents during his time at college. Now he and my mom have learned the art of a text message, and boy are they thankful.
If you don’t text, you’re missing out. If you text a little, you should text more. If you are a texter, you still might not understand just how much power your palm-sized QWERTY keyboard holds.
Just about every student uses some form of instant messaging service such as AIM or Facebook chat. People like me can spend up to four hours in the middle of the night chatting away on a computer, and leaving it behind to go to class is simply not an option. That’s when texting comes in.
Using my personal weapon of choice, the LG enV3, I can continue my utterly unnecessary conversations while walking to class, and God forbid, during class. When I’m venturing up Sleeping Giant, I can share the experience by sending a picture message to all of my friends by pushing five buttons (and I don’t mean I only have five friends).
Texting also allows me to update my Facebook and Twitter status whenever I please. Don’t tell me it’s a waste of time to alert my friends and followers that I’m at Walmart, and I’m looking for a big bag of candy corn. They will “like” it and “mention” me all the time.
But in all seriousness, texting is the best way to quickly get in touch with somebody. My friends can’t answer a phone call when they are in a meeting or studying in the library, but they can take 30 seconds to drop what they are doing and let me know that they want to get food later. I can respond to a text with the phone still in my coat pocket and not cause nearly the commotion taking a phone call would.
How about if you are one of those nervous wrecks – like me – who have trouble coming up with the right thing to say when the girl you like is staring you in the face? It’s calming to be able to gather my thoughts and put together a sweet little message that always receives a response of “LOL.”
There’s no reason not to text. It’s the most convenient on-the-go communication tool, and most cell phone plans allow you to send and receive an unlimited amount of text messages. This is not the case with making phone calls.
Keep in mind, in the real world, it is necessary to call up a potential employer or boss. A text that reads, “sry, gonna be a lil late” won’t cut it with your boss, unless of course you build a friendly relationship with him or her. Being social and friendly through text messaging is a great way to make strong impressions on people you would like to call friends.
I’m not saying you should never talk on the phone again – not at all. There will always be times when a phone call is necessary. Just be aware of what you are capable of doing with a text message, and how much easier it is to communicate today than it was 20 years ago.
