Cell phones: where have all the calls gone?

By Alison Grimes and Nancy Hanger
aThEENs 3410 staff

There is an old saying that one has truly grasped a foreign language when they start dreaming in that language; well text message lingo may be the newest dream lingo for many American teens.

Text messaging has become a phenomenon in recent years, and from the looks of it, there is no stopping in the future. Researchers and educators struggle with concern as this text message phenomenon has reached alarming proportions affecting the normal growth and development of our teen population.

What does this new trend mean? It means the “tween” and teenagers of society are now communicating with each other through a completely different means.

It seems as though communicating through text has become not only the primary form of communication for teens, but for many the only form of communication. Obviously, cell phones have taken over as the way for our society to communicate, as well as, stay informed, but has anyone taken a look at how far this digital trend has emerged its way into our society?

A 2009 study by Fiance Education Group concluded that the average age children get their first cellular phone is 8 years old. To many this may be mind baffling, but instead of honing in on the shock factor, think about what lessons today’s children are learning from this digital switch. Eight-year-old children cruising around on their bicycles with cell phones is probably unimaginable to some, but with the digital world taking over that image is going to soon be a popular sight.

Teens, more importantly, are embracing a whole new digital life that no other generation has experienced before. Five years ago, it would be considered rude almost uncanny, to end a relationship or attempt to prove a detailed argument through a text message, but teens today would not even second guess shooting a text before making a phone call.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and expert on texting growth, Sherry Turkle, describes this new digital life as one unique to the teenage cohort.

“This is really the first generation that grew up with simulation to the point that they see simulation as a virtue and have a very hard time identifying where reality slips away from simulation, often in subtle ways,” Turkle said.

Katherine Downs, a 17-year-old sophomore from Clarke Central High School, talks about how she text everyone from her friends to even her parents. “It can range from frivolous conversations to like, my parents discussing some necessary information. More often than not, It's a conversation with one of my friends from school. Texting is huge. I used to not do it, at all, all and now, it's unavoidable.”

Michael Lopez, a 15-year-old high school freshman from Centennial High School in Roswell, Ga. and owner of a Blackberry Pearl, says “I would for sure argue with someone in a text message. I have more time to think about what I am going to say and most of the time it is just easier to get my point across.” Lopez also goes on to say that “texting is more, ummm, convenient, I guess because it means there is no chance to deal with that whole awkward silence situation.”

Standards do exist to some in the texting world. A 16-year-old Centennial sophomore and owner of an Apple iPhone, Alyssa Strenger, says “I would never break up with some one in a text message and ya, I would be really pissed if someone did it to me.”

The majority of college students, although not too much older in age, would even say that a text message would be one of the last places that they would manage a dispute with someone else. Clearly to the younger generation, verbalizing through a text message is the ideal comfort level of communication.

Although the high school population seems to be the prime “texters,” the trend has not necessarily fully captured all middle school students. Thirteen year old Morton County Middle School student who also owns a LG Envy touch phone, Anna Lindsey, says “I don’t text that much, but most of my friends do all the time.”

Anna may soon be a rare sight, because although she admits to not being as frequent of a texter as her friends, she does say “I feel more comfortable with my cell phone on me than not.” Cell phones are taking over as teens' new security blanket.

Just as any fad that hits teen students, school systems have to keep up with regulations. Cell phones have been in school policies for a couple years now, but with teens now needing to only communicate through a text message it is hard to imagine that any school regulation would stop them.

Strenger states, “I see someone get busted with their phone literally everyday. I have been in trouble too, but it is not scary or anything. They try to act like it is, but all they do is take your phone until the end of the day.”

Anna, who is on her way to complete the seventh grade, claims, “ We’re allowed to have the phone on us, but it can’t be turned on or seen. But, my friends all do it anyways.” Lenient enforcement of school cell phone rules is just as nonchalant to teachers.

Gerry Siegel, 7th grade teacher of Ridgeview Middle School talks about his school’s cell phone policy, “The rules for phones around here are very lax. Usually we just take them from their possession and give it back to them at the end of the day. What good does that do? I don’t know, I have been wondering the same thing.”

Downs admits her texting habit shies from her friends, but says even she is baffled with some student’s need for their phone at school. “Yes, I am guilty of texting during class. I never text during a test or something, but definitely during a regular lesson, I do. I'm really not sneaky, though.” She laughs. “My friends always make fun of me for it. But I would say I don't text the most compared to other kids I know. It's crazy, I actually know some people who talk on their phone during class.”

Without having any legitimate punishments for 24-hour communication, the texting does truly become a habit. Many college students admit to texting all throughout their classes. University of Georgia freshman and nineteen year old “text fiend“, Courtney Guest, says that “I spend my whole class texting or getting on Facebook or something like that. Texting is too tempting during class because it is so easy.” Guest also has an Apple iphone and she does admit that having the plethora of “apps” has caused her to stay on her phone even more.

This newly created unbreakable habit is clearly ranging from middle school classrooms to college lecture halls. It is no surprise that some parents are doing anything they can to blockade this teen culture from deviating their homes.

Lindsey admits, “My parents are always telling me I text too much. They tell me I can’t answer anyone until after dinner. So I just don’t bring my phone to the table anymore.” In Lindsey’s case her parents are hanging on to more power then most.

Strenger smirked, “Me and my dad used to fight about texting all the time. Then he just gave up and got me unlimited. Now he can’t say anything about it, because there are no more extra charges on the bill. We are both happy, you could say!”

Strenger, similar to Guest, now somewhat considers her cell phone a lifetime necessity. Not only are the teens using their cell phones for texting, they are sleeping with them for the use of alarm clocks, they are using them as calendars and cameras.

With cell phones and texting replacing numerous parts of the daily routine, it is no surprise that some dangers have emerged from the habit. People build a relationship with their technology, it is almost treated as another person.

Turkle explains this new kind of relationship, “There are relationships with machines where your relationship is not via the machine to another person. No, I'm talking about relating to a robot, relating to a bot and being willing to take what you can get in that relationship as being sort of sufficient unto the day. And at least as I can see from interviewing children and teenagers, we're gradually moving into expanding, gradually and gradually, the realms in which we think it's appropriate to relate to a machine.”

Since people are now creating “bot” relationships, it is no surprise that there has been an increase in potential dangers related to texting. Car accidents caused by people texting while driving is on a steady incline. From eight-year-old children getting cell phones to the dangers of texting while driving, our society is beginning to witness a small glimpse of the potential that this new phenomenon posses.

It is clear that teenage communication is undergoing a generational change, let’s just hope everyone in society can keep up with these fast fingered adolescents.