by Deltra Perryman

Created on: July 08, 2008

I recently had a conversation with someone about how the cell phones and electronic gadgets have become so integrated into everyday life they have changed the way people interact with one another. We were commenting on how two people can be sitting next to each other and never utter a word, but their fingers are constantly moving almost like communicating in secret code. I noticed on my train ride to work that most people are sending text messages or bobbing their head to a musical device but I seldom see people engaged in conversation.

I am the first person to reach for my cell phone which has become a real sidekick for me. However I am a people person and enjoy interacting in face to face conversations. As much as I like to text and instant message I have to keep a balance which means knowing when placing a call or paying a visit to communicate with family and friends is the appropriate thing to do.

Raising teenagers is difficult enough and when you add the impact that cell phones, text
messaging, IPODS and mp3 players have had and it makes it even more challenging to find ways to teach them how to communicate. Being able to express their feelings in a positive and healthy not to mention grammatically correct manner is proving to be nearly impossible. Raising a generation that uses abbreviations to communicate is unrealistic, there are areas that the correct use of the English language is necessary and if we don't take a pro active role the results will be counterproductive.

Text messaging can also cause a person to be rude by holding more than one conversation at a time. I have a rule when it comes to text messaging, if I am having a conversation with someone I turn my phone off. I do that because there needs to be a time when I'm not accessible to the world and I can devote my undivided attention to one person. How can we foster genuine relationships with people if we don't give quality time to one another? I like to feel that when I am with someone there is no one else in the world that is more important to them.

Balance is the key to making sure that we don't become an all text society. It might seem far fetched but cell phones haven't been around that long and we have become a cell phone society. As a parent it is my job to ensure that my children have all the tools they need to communicate effectively and while text and instant messaging are tools they should never be celebrated as the most effective ones. I can remember when e-mails began replacing how people kept in touch, if we are not careful we will become a world where human contact isn't needed to communicate and that would be wrong for many reasons. One being the tone of the conversation how many times have you text messaged the word "what" to someone that asked you something only to have then reply why did you say it like that? "What" can be expressed in a number of ways and can be interpreted in the wrong way if the expression of "what" is misunderstood. The key component missing is emotion, a persons voice can relay a message that a text never will. I am using just one word of many we use everyday to show the danger in relying solely on electronic methods of communication.

I am all for staying current with the changes in the world of technology however I am cautious about how much of the new influences my way of doing things. When it comes to communication the old way is the best way for me it has stood the test of time.

Learn more about this author, Deltra Perryman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.