As our methods of communication evolved throughout the centuries, it was inevitable that people would use new forms of communication to connect with others. Although these new tools of communication have benefited society greatly, they aren’t without their drawbacks; tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and even texting have their own norms and metas that over-complicate communication. Texting, in particular, has become unnecessarily confusing.
One of the biggest issues with texting is that there isn’t any tone in messages. For example, if I were to say “Oh, that sounds like fun” when referring to someone going in for a medical procedure, it could be interpreted in numerous ways. Am I being sarcastic? Do I actually like going to medical procedures? Or am I being dismissive and short with the receiver of the text because of a previous conversation?
The tone of a message has to be interpreted in a completely different way than traditional communication. The length of a message, the frequency of emoticons, and other nonsensical factors determine the tone of a text. For example, If someone replies with short sentences and lots of periods, they are usually upset. Unless you know the person on the other end really well, it can be difficult to decipher the exact meaning of a message. This can cause a rift between the people conversing and strain their relationship.
Texting is a strange medium because it allows people to plan out what they’re going to say. Unlike speech, which puts the conversationalists on the spot, texting lets you devise the perfect response to whatever was last said. Every message can be staged, which sometimes makes the conversation seem unnatural and choppy when compared to the fluidity of a face-to-face conversation.
There are some merits to texting. Because you aren’t in the presence of the person you’re conversing with, you can be the person that's too shy to be in traditional communication. For example, if I was too bashful to tell a girl she’s beautiful to her face, I could be the romantic in my text in ways that I could never be in real life. Although it’s nice that texting allows you to express feelings that you might not be able to articulate face-to-face, it seems less personal and could be perceived as a cop-out to the person you’re communicating with.
Texting is a great tool for communicating, but it's an over-thinker's nightmare. There are so many little quirks that can be interpreted in a plethora of ways, which can make it one of the most confusing mediums to communicate with. It will be interesting to see how the medium and the meta of texting evolves or devolves over the coming years.
