ROCKFORD - Twenty years-ago
today the way two people communicate was changed forever. The first text message was sent on December
3, 1992 by software engineer Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis. The message was just a simple, "Merry
Christmas."
Now people text
dozens of times a day:
"Maybe around 50,"
said Candice Elsasser, commenting on how often she texts per
day.
"Probably50 or so,"
said Trey Loggins, who says he believes that's a lot of
texting.
Brittney Garrison
admits she might have a problem with texting.
"I'd probably say
about 200 or 300," said Garrison.
Garrison says she doesn't enjoy talking on the phone. Texting is her preferred method of
communication and it shows.
Elaine Sharpe,
licensed therapist and
"It expands the
world," said Sharpe. "When you need
support, when you need some comfort, you can text a number of friends. Somebody's going to respond more often than
not."
And that
convenience factor of texting is what motivates so many people to
text.
"We always have to
be in contact," said Jeff Cook, who says he's addicted to texting. "We always have to be networked with our
friends."
Trey Loggins says
this type of communication helps him up his game with the
ladies.
"I can text girls
easier that way," said Loggins.
"A lot of my bosses
like to text instead of calling," said Elsasser who says she works several jobs
while attending college. "It's just
easier and they can check it whenever."
Although texting
may increase the amount of contact humans have with other humans, it doesn't
necessarily help mold humans socially.
The lack of face to face interaction involved with texting is making
today's generation lack in social skills.
"We learn social
cueing by looking at another person," said Sharpe.
"We develop
pro-social skills of empathy by looking into the eyes of another person and when
you text you don't have that other person present."
That lack of face
to face interaction can also make a text message backfire. Sometimes what the person on the receiving
end of a text message sees is not what the sender meant to send, figuratively
and literally.
"Auto-correct has
done me wrong multiple times," said Kahla Conley. "I've called people names I didn't want to
call them, I've said things I didn't mean to say."
Conley mentions she
prefers the old method of calling on the phone to texting. She says sometimes it's just easier to say
what you have to say verbally then trying to type it out. Conley says she still sends about 20 texts a
day, even though it's not her favorite type of
communicating.
Sometimes the
message goes to the wrong person.
"Texting the wrong
girl... that's happened before," said Loggins.
Sharpe says those
instances of misinterpreted texts or texts meant for other people can land
people in her office for therapy.
"When it comes to
the counseling, it's usually because of a troubling event of something that was
said or shared or perhaps texted to other people and you inadvertently got the
text," said Sharpe.
"That creates a lot
of havoc."
