Alexandra Johnson:

I have grown up in a generation where life has been centered around the small handheld piece of technology that is a cell phone. Most teenagers cannot go more than a couple of hours without looking at their phones to see the newest updates about the world around them. Even though I would like to believe that I am not this type of person and that I could go a whole day without looking at my phone, that would be a lie. I use my phone as a way to show my personality through my text messages.

I turn to my phone as a security blanket because when I am texting someone, I can be whoever I want to be. I have the chance to think about what I am going to say before I have to say it and there will not be an incredibly awkward and long pause in the conversation like there is when I am talking on the phone or in person. I can make myself seem more confident through text than I usually can in person. The person I become over text is the person that I wish I could be in real life. It’s the one form of communication that turns me into the person that I know I can be, but I am too afraid to show other people. People ask me all the time if they can call me instead of texting, and most times I turn them down right away. I start to think of everything that will go wrong in the conversation and then all of the sudden I am too anxious to even consider calling them, which leads me to either telling them that I am busy or just not answering the phone all together.

I do hope that one day I will get over my anxiousness toward a simple conversation over the phone but for now texting will be my go-to method of communication.

Valerie Rasmussen: 

Phones have always been one of the easiest ways to communicate and since their original creation, they have evolved to streamline communication in many different ways. One major use of cell phones is texting, which many people prefer over traditional verbal conversations. However, I have always preferred talking. While emojis can help to show the feeling someone is trying to convey through their words, being able to hear the inflections and change of tone in someone’s voice has always made it easier for me to have a conversation. When I text, it’s very easy for messages to be misconstrued into something that it’s not. By being able to hear someone’s voice, I have the peace of mind knowing without a doubt that we are on the same page.

Hearing someone’s voice not only makes it easier for me to understand them, but it also makes the conversation more authentic. I’m not on my phone all the time and because of that, it usually takes me awhile to respond to all of my texts. The long breaks between messages make the entire conversation feel impersonal; many people nowadays text whenever they find themselves with a bit of spare time and when we feel like it. By talking to someone face to face, we are both agreeing to pay attention to and spend a few minutes with each other at that moment, not just haphazardly when we have time. Based on this, I’ve always felt that talking to people is safer and it allows for a real connection, something special shared between two people who truly want to communicate with one another