Text Messaging Etiquette
When I've been over in the UK the one thing that's really struck me is the prevalence of texting. Frickin' everybody text messages with everyone. Another thing that struck me as being fairly civil about it is that when out in a group with others, a person texting with someone will often say "I'm asking Amy if she can join us later," or "Joe just came back from Bermuda and can't meet up with us." Even as prevalent as texting seems to be over there, it really didn't seem to be intrusive.
Texting is hot with the kids here (I listen to my friend who teaches jr. high school talk about the various challenges she faces with her kids and keeping them off their electronic gadgets is a big one) but most of my friends and peers are not big texters. One friend, though, has become obsessive about his text messages. Out in a bar and get up to go to the ladies' room? When you come back, he's texting. At the movies? He's texting. Out to dinner? Before the drinks are delivered, he's texting. In the middle of the roleplaying game (he's running!)... yep, there have been times when everyone else at the table is just waiting for him because he's started texting. (Actually, I might be a bit unfair. He's not always texting, sometimes he's reading e-mail.) It's getting a little frightening how frequently that phone is in his hand, like a little boy who has just discovered his penis. It's like he can't stop touching it.
Seriously, though, if it keeps up I'm going to stage an intervention.
I was thinking of this a bit yesterday because Kate was working on a Powerpoint presentation for her big end of the year report on tigers. She's worked on the project at least a little every day for a couple of weeks now, and it's really coming together. She was asking me if I knew how to copy a sound-bite from the web into a Powerpoint presentation and I had to tell her I wasn't sure. Images I can do, but I've never tried to stick video or audio into Powerpoint... I'm sure I could figure it out, but she just said, "Where's Tim when I need him?!" She then coyly asked me how long until she could have her own cell phone. Images of my much more tech-savvy daughter having access to a phone of her own (and its inaudible ringtones and endless text messaging capacity) and told her "When you need one." Then she asked when she could have her own laptop and didn't like my offer of "When you graduate from high school." Heh. Anyway, now's the time to prep Kate with the info that will keep her from doing all sorts of things (like running off to get married before she finishes school or having unprotected sex, or, I hope, developing bad habits like eating junk food and texting at the dinner table). Wish me luck!
Texting is hot with the kids here (I listen to my friend who teaches jr. high school talk about the various challenges she faces with her kids and keeping them off their electronic gadgets is a big one) but most of my friends and peers are not big texters. One friend, though, has become obsessive about his text messages. Out in a bar and get up to go to the ladies' room? When you come back, he's texting. At the movies? He's texting. Out to dinner? Before the drinks are delivered, he's texting. In the middle of the roleplaying game (he's running!)... yep, there have been times when everyone else at the table is just waiting for him because he's started texting. (Actually, I might be a bit unfair. He's not always texting, sometimes he's reading e-mail.) It's getting a little frightening how frequently that phone is in his hand, like a little boy who has just discovered his penis. It's like he can't stop touching it.
Seriously, though, if it keeps up I'm going to stage an intervention.
I was thinking of this a bit yesterday because Kate was working on a Powerpoint presentation for her big end of the year report on tigers. She's worked on the project at least a little every day for a couple of weeks now, and it's really coming together. She was asking me if I knew how to copy a sound-bite from the web into a Powerpoint presentation and I had to tell her I wasn't sure. Images I can do, but I've never tried to stick video or audio into Powerpoint... I'm sure I could figure it out, but she just said, "Where's Tim when I need him?!" She then coyly asked me how long until she could have her own cell phone. Images of my much more tech-savvy daughter having access to a phone of her own (and its inaudible ringtones and endless text messaging capacity) and told her "When you need one." Then she asked when she could have her own laptop and didn't like my offer of "When you graduate from high school." Heh. Anyway, now's the time to prep Kate with the info that will keep her from doing all sorts of things (like running off to get married before she finishes school or having unprotected sex, or, I hope, developing bad habits like eating junk food and texting at the dinner table). Wish me luck!