By Jaime Ortega Simo.
Professor Simeon Yates is an expert in dangers related with text messages.
1. Is text messaging bad for people?
This is the wrong question. No medium is “bad” or “good” for people. Some Ancient Greek Philosophers claimed writing was bad for people as the art of Rhetoric would die out – argument needed to be performed not written. Recent scholars have argued nobly writing allows for rational argument…. All media tend to be socially evaluated – very often when they are new they are deemed “dangerous”, often generating “moral panics” in the press. For example the Right-wing press in the UK (Daily Mail, Daily Express) have run many articles claiming that texting “is destroying english”, in fact nearly all texting is well spelt and abbreviations are used consistently.
I think the question needs to be – how are we changing the way we interact with each other and organise our social lives through the use of new media? The question of wether these changes are good or bad is in fact a moral, ethical, political and cultural one.
2) Does it help or ruin relationships?
No more so than any other medium. People ending a relationship by text is harsh – but it happens, but so is a “Dear John” letter. The question is how do people integrate texting into a relationship. Like any other medium it changes the dynamics, and the processes but these are still human relationships in all their complexity.
3) Do people that use text are more shy to dialog with people in a face to face conversation?
Yes, EVERYONE we have interviewed has used texting, Facebook, twitter etc. to manage “face” – that is to deal with difficult and challenging social interaction. But we did the same with the phone, or letters etc. Managing face is key part of all social interaction. Texting is just another medium/option available to us.
The attached book chapter might help.
Simeon.
