Essay: Impact Of Text Messaging On Literacy In Children, Teens, And Adults.

Discuss about The Text Messaging Is Sent Via Portable Gadgets Such As Mobile Phones And Laptops?

With the progress of time, the advancement of education has changed a lot, which includes virtual method of communication. Such a kind of communication is best accomplished by text messaging (Stockwell et al. 2012). The Text Messaging Is Sent Via Portable Gadgets Such As Mobile Phones And Laptops.  This discussion will include explanation of revolution of text messaging, reason for increasing use of text messaging, positive impact of text messaging on literacy and negative impact of text messaging on literacy.

Revolution of text message started from the innovation of mobile phones; as transferring of these messages were  possible only via networking protocols in real-time basis. As time passed by, simplified text messaging up heaved itself with multimedia contents that have changed the style of learning by minimizing time consumption (Raifman et al. 2014). The study presents further discussion as the analysis progresses.

There are several reasons for increase in text messaging such as decrease in time consumption, increased sharing of knowledge and ideas among peers and students, resource allocation from net, instant feedback in project and assignment completions among students and many other, which will be discussed further as the analysis continues.

If particularly literacy is considered, then it can be said that text messaging helps in sharing ideas of education among teenage. The knowledge of textese and textisms are shared among the students and thus, knowledge is shared. The speed and accuracy of learning specifically English language has been enhanced a lot among the students.

Apart from this, the study will also described the negative effect of text messaging on the literacy of children, teenage and adults. Teenage student mostly make spelling mistakes in their examination paper due to this text messaging habit. Further discussions related to negative effects will be presented later in the argument.

Thesis

This report will discuss on the fact that whether text messaging has an effect on literacy in children, teens, and adults. With the help of positive and negative discussion, the purpose of the topic will be justified in this report. 

Text messaging is an act of composing and sending message electronically between two or more mobile phones and fixed or portable devices over the network. The original term of text messaging refers to sending short message service over the phone network. Globe Telecom in Philippines first introduced ‘Text messaging’ (Matheson et al. 2014). In the earlier year, there was no option to share any image file over the text message but now with the introduction of multimedia phones it is possible to share image file too over text message. The first text message was sent from Neil Papworth in 1992, who was the former developer of Sema Group Telecoms. At that time mobile phone had no keypad, therefore Papworth had to type his text on the PC. Earlier GSM mobile phone did not support the scope of text message (Leonard, 2015). Nokia had first released such a GSM mobile phone that supported users to send text over the phone. In 1997, it had become the first manufacturer of mobile phone with a full keypad, which helped the users to type their text message from their own mobile. From 1999, all networks and mobile had started to incorporate text-messaging facilities, which had increased its usefulness.

Revolution of text messaging

Earlier mobile phones only supported the user to type their text-message word by word in their phone. With the increase of technology, mobile phones had started to support users by enabling them to drag their fingers for connecting dots in a word.  Each number of mobile phone was connected to three or more numbers that helped the users to type their words easily. With the introduction of QWERTY keyboard, it  became easier for the users to type the text quickly as the layout of the keyboard got accustomed to PC keyboard. With the introduction of the virtual keyboard in the Smartphone, users got the opportunity to automatically check and correct the spelling of their messages (Filion et al. 2015). Nowadays users not only have the opportunity to type word in the text message, they can also send image files over the text message facility. 

It has been found from the survey teenage and adults use text messages about 2272 times a month and make calls only 203 times. With the increased pressure of frequent semester, teenagers find vey less time to meet with their friends. They are not able to share their ideas about their assignments face to face. Therefore, they take the help of text messaging to share their ideas with their friends. Various network channels have reduced the rate of text messaging over the phone, whereas the call charge is so high, therefore, teenagers and adults are not able to make so much calls over the phone (Matheson et al. 2014). The lowest cost of text messaging has increased the tendency of teenagers and adults to use text-messaging facility. Nowadays, half of the adults and teenagers have Smart phones in their hands. Therefore, they truly have mini computers readily available in their hands. They can share their assignment copy over the phone through text messaging. The facility to share file over the text message has also increased the rate of text messaging usage among the teenagers and children. High-speed network facility helps the teenagers and adults to make text messaging from anywhere they want (Guy et al. 2012). It has also increased the percentage of text-messaging utilization by the teenage and adults.

An increasing use of text messaging can be found among the new generation people with the advancement of technology. Most of the time of a day, teenagers, and adults engage themselves in using text messaging to their close ones. It has been found that 31% of teens send over 100 text- messages each day (Piette et al. 2015). The children and teens can easily communicate with their friends who stay far from them. There are some positive impact of text messaging on the literacy of the children, teens, and adults. Some of the positive impact has been discussed in the following:

Teens and adults always keep themselves busy in texting their friends. As they always read and type the language on the text, it positively influences their reading skills and language development. Users take very short time to read a text message coming from another user to their phone. The frequency of reading the text message is positively correlated with reading skills of the children and teenage (Herbert et al. 2013). Various types of new words are shown on the screen of the phone, while users type their text message. This facility has also positively influenced the language development of the teens and adults, because each day they can come to know about various new words. These new words get stored in their minds. Frequent use of new types of words increases the language knowledge of the teens and adults (Orrell et al. 2015). Typing of text messaging also increases the writing speed of the teens and children in their examination that contributes a lot to their literacy.

Reason for increasing use of text messaging

When communicating over text messaging, teens and adults who start their chatting with a distressed mind can experience a reduction in the negative mood after chatting with their friends. The children and teens may face many issues in their schools and colleges regarding their assignment in the examination (Muench et al. 2013). They become tensed about how to complete the assignment. Text messaging helps them in this area, as they can take quick suggestions about the assignment form their friends over the text message. Thus, the children and teens get relief from the tension of making assignments (Foreman et al. 2012). The teens who regularly text, seem to get more emotional relief and strong bond with their friends. The teens and children can talk to their friends with an open mind through this text messaging. They feel more comfortable to share any problem regarding their study with their friends and teachers over the text messaging rather than face-to-face communication.

Text message and other types of electronic communication have a great impact on the introverted teenagers. Some teenagers are overwhelmed with emotion and thoughts but they are not most socially interactive, to express their thoughts among a large group of friend circle. They are unable to go to the straight point with their friend circles. It is very difficult for them to talk amidst a large group of friend. They need to take time for thinking before commenting on anything (Drouin & Driver, 2014). They also need space for concentrating on their mind for thinking anything. Any distraction and nuisance may hinder the way of their thinking. In text messaging they get chance to think and reply on the comment of other. Thus, text message helps these introverted teens and adults to share their thoughts and ideas with their friends. Texting allows introverted teens to share that ideas and thoughts that they might feel uncomfortable to bring up to the group.

Through text-message, the teens and children can continuously discuss about their study with their friends. Children and teenagers can share the complexity of their subject. The more the teens and children will discuss on their study over the text message, the more they will gain better understanding over their subject. Generally, teens do not get so much time for discussing about their class projects through face-to-face communication due to limited school and college time. Therefore, they need to discuss about their study through text message over the phone from their home (Otieno et al. 2014). If any teen and child faces any problem about his class project, then he can get help from his friend for solving his problem. It enhances the learning capability of the teens and children. Frequent discussion over one topic over the text message may help the children and teens to gain effective knowledge about their subject (Geng, 2013). The teens and adults can also get help from their teacher about their class project over the text message process. This kind of text messaging increases the scope of virtual learning, in which teachers can help the students by providing study materials.

Positive impact on literacy

With the help of text messaging facility, teens and adults can make a strong bond with their friend. Knowledge and ideas of various students can be shared over the text message. Frequency and quality of contact with the friends, teacher, and other students from another university makes the teens and adults to be more persistent in their study. The teens and adults are more inclined to believe on the matter shared over the text message rather than any discussion by face-to-face communication. They tend to make the document of the text message the basic for their study plan (Murdock, 2013). Teens can use the medium of text messaging for developing and sustaining the relation that already exist. Through text messaging system, teens and children can easily interact with their private tutor and get instant solution of the study related problem.

Reduces the time to study

Increase rate of text message usage can be found among the teens and adults of the university. They are more inclined to gossip over the text message throughout the day and even in late night. The interest of discussing various entertaining matter over the text message ultimately reduces the interest of the student in study (Wood et al. 2013). Due to increased use of text messaging, they are losing interest in study. They always engage themselves in texting others over the phone and thus, it reduces the study time of the teens and children  for their university projects.

The use of ‘Textese’ and text messaging may adversely affect the children, teens, and adults learning. It may reduce the standard of the English used by the teens and adult. Textese is an abbreviated vocabulary that contains various types of symbols, numbers, emoticons, shortening of words, punctuations, vowels, and capitalization. This abbreviated vocabulary allows the user to make maximum of 120 words. This vocabulary forces the users to make words in an economic mode of communication within its limitation. In this abbreviation tonight is written as ‘2nite’. The languages do not end with just word and uses phrase words. For example, ‘lol’ is used to represent ‘laugh out loud’. These types of abbreviated words get stored in the brain of teens and adults and they mostly use these abbreviated words in their examination paper. It becomes the tendency of the teens and adults to make spelling mistakes due to increased use of abbreviations in the text message (Aziz et al. 2013). They do not bother to crosscheck their spelling for identifying mistakes. Thus, the marks they get in the examination are quite low. Use of abbreviation in academic writing decreases the quality of the teens and children in the university.

With the help of text message, even though students are able to communicate with each other, still they are lacking in proper sentence construction. According to Korda & Itani, (2013), academic writing is quite different from casual communication. Students are casually communicating with each other in their own preferable language and hence they are not able to get the proper idea of sentence construction. Most of the time, it can be found that universities keep a separate marking criteria against grammar. In such cases, the university students are not able to score high marks as they are found to construct poor sentences. According to Grace et al. (2013), university students are utilizing casual words, short form of words and concise sentences that eventually does not make any sense of sentence construction, which is the direct effect of text messaging. Thus, the students are lacking English sentence construction for proper academic writing. If the base of the students is spoiled, they will surely not able to match up while working in corporate sectors. Adults are finding difficulties in synthesizing reports and formal written communication in their respective corporate sectors. Thus, it can be said that if students and teenagers try to exchange ideas with proper form of texting, by utilizing appropriate words, full form of words and proper initiative for grammar enhancement, then text messaging will not have any negative effect (Otieno et al. 2014).

Negative impact on literacy

From the above discussion, it has been found that with the help of text messaging, students and teenagers are sharing online links for completion of their assignments. Such activities are having negative impact on assessment. Most of the Universities give assignments to the students by forming groups regarding one particular topic. Students are processing secondary research on the internet, allocate certain brief ideas, and share among them, whereas the task was requested to be done by discussion among team members. Thus, it can be said that with an easy  mode of communication, students are becoming lethargic and thereby losing credibility and quality. If students do not allocate proper ideas, then assignments will surely fail, as one needs to sort out vague ideas and authentic points (Bernicot et al. 2014). As a result, casual mistakes, inappropriate writings, low quality tasks are evident among the teenagers. Readily available information needs to be assessed by each of the students before implementing the ideas on their assignments. Thus, it can be said that text-messaging helps in sharing research based ideas but at the same time, it is limiting the possibility of idea allocation as students are partially sharing ideas among each other, which was supposed to be carried out by each group members (De Jonge & Kemp, 2012). Students are lethargic enough; they are saving time by electronically communicating among each other, which is affecting their literacy enhancement.

It takes attentive concentration while studying on some academic topic. Students need to pay close attention to their study in order to understand the topic of the study properly. In this area, text messaging negatively affects the literacy of the teens and children. It can frequently be seen that teens and children remain busy during their study time (Janks et al. 2013). In case, if they get any concentration over their study and then a text comes to their phone, their mind immediately shifts from their study to the text message. In this way, diversion of mind during the study occurs due to text messaging. It also decreases the in-depth knowledge of the teens about their study. Frequent use of text messaging can also be found among the children and teens in their classroom (Clayson & Haley, 2013). They usually remain busy in texting their friends by keeping their mobile behind the study material. Thus, they cannot concentrate on the speech of the class teacher. Later at the time of examination, they cannot answer the question given.

Conclusion

While concluding the study, it can be said that rate of text messaging has been increased among the teens, children and adults with the advancement of technology. Text messaging is the act of composing and sending message electronically over the electronic gadgets. Globe Telecom Company in Philippines first introduced text messaging. In the earlier cell phones, users were only able type words. With the introduction of Smartphone, users are now able to send image file over the phones. Smartphone also gives the facility of creating words by providing word suggestion.. Nowadays, teens and adults face high pressure due to their frequent semester. They do not get opportunity to meet their friends and spend time with them. This is why teens and adults take the help of text messaging to keep contact with their friends. Text messaging has various positive and negative impacts on the literacy of teens, children, and adults.  Text messaging increases the reading skills of the teens and children. They can come to know about various new words stored in the message segment of the phone. It can also enhance the learning of the teens and adult as they can always discuss about their study over phone. Text messaging has also some negative effects on the literacy of the teens and adults. The tendency of spelling mistake is increasing among the teens and children due to increased use of text messaging. The ability of teens and children to write Standard English in the examination is also decreasing with the utilization of text messaging.

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