For Texting Teens, an OMG Moment When the Phone Bill Arrives - washingtonpost.com

Fascinating story at the Washington Post today on texting and teens. Having arrived in Dubai 5 years ago and working with my church's youth group have perhaps given me a earlier entre' into the world of texting than my Western counterparts.

For Texting Teens, an OMG Moment When the Phone Bill Arrives - washingtonpost.com:

"Teenagers elsewhere in the world have been texting furiously for years, using the cheap technology to evade government controls on dating in Saudi Arabia and to foment revolution in the Philippines. Now that texting has exploded in America, it's regarded as one of the current teen generation's inexplicable behaviors, like instant-messaging or spending hours on Facebook.

'What we have to see is that connections are very different than when we were growing up,' said Lilli Friedland, a Los Angeles psychologist who also does consulting for the entertainment industry. Text-messaging, she said, is how kids feel comfortable communicating today. Think it, text it, keep it short, have to have it."

As with any other type of technology, too much or misapplication of it can lead astray. But I personally like texting for lots of situations. It's quick and effective often. On my recent business trip to Jordan I could text back to Dubai and feel in touch with lots of people at a lower cost than a voice call and with less of a time commitment.

One of the questions of texting though is how it effects the quality of relationship you would have with another person. I believe that at some point, loving another person requires being there. Paul, in the New Testament, wrote many letters to congregations he couldn't physically be with (often because he was in prison or traveling in far off places). It was better than not writing, but even he mentions many times in his writings that he longs to be with them.

The article touches on this idea:

Friedland, the psychologist, says texting is different from the marathon phone calls most parents remember making as teens because it's typically done with a large group of friends. "For many of them, it is the sense of being part of a group that is really important," she said. What she worries about is that children aren't getting the "cleaner, deeper sense of friendship and relatedness" that came from talking to someone directly, even on the phone.

"We just don't know yet what the impact will be," she said.

Rubenstein can text without even looking at the keypad and responds within seconds, although the conversation tends to be about nothing especially important.

Being there physically is better than writing, whether it's on a mobile phone keypad or with quill and parchment. Still, texting is here to stay (until a superior technology supplants it) and so I'll use it to stay in touch and perhaps as a bridge to fill the gaps between face to face meetings with people where I can really communicate the love of Christ.