Texting and Teen Literacy

Texting and Teen Literacy

Texting is a form of communication involving the composition of short messages through the use of quick messaging services via mobile phones. The advancement in telecommunication technology has led to an upsurge in texting as a means of communication. In the present society, mobile phones have become basic needs to punctuate the demands of the needs of a modern lifestyle. Teenagers are not left behind in this new development. People depend so much on mobile phones for both official communication as well as social communication. The rate of dependence has grown to a level that people can no longer survive without a cell phone. There are two main methods of communication using cell phones: calls and text messaging. Texting or text messaging is prevalent among teenagers and youth in schools. The following paper seeks to outline the effects of texting on the literacy of teenagers.

Teenagers are fond of using text messaging to complete their communication needs with their peers to make their communication and conversational needs by simplifying their communication process. There are both benefits and drawbacks associated with this new way of communication to the literacy of teenagers in schools. Mostly texting involves the use of abbreviated words that incorporates the use of both letters and numbers to convey the intended messages. In some instances, it also involves the use of slang and abbreviation of words. This pattern is detrimental to the literary development of a teenage learner. In essence, especially in learning language and grammar since the use of the shortened words and abbreviations limit full exploitation of the language and its grammar. In the words of Ling et al. (429), the use of texting as a means of communication lowers the full mastery of the language by the teenagers by lowering the levels of comprehension and vocabulary development. Additionally, as one concentrates much on texting, they suppress the development of their non-verbal cues that are very important in supporting verbal communication. It also encourages general complacency and fear of writing, thereby making teens too lazy and negatively construed to academics.

Besides, Singh (1087) posits that texting interferes with spelling acquisition and mastery of the pronunciation of different words since, in most cases, the SMS format used in texting takes in abbreviations and sometimes misspelled words that are not academically approved informal communication and academic writing. Consequently, using text messaging by teens that are still in school hurts the learners’ mastery of spelling that eventually leads to their inability to properly and articulately use the language. No doubt, overconcentration in texting as a means of communication among the teens not only lowers their understanding of the language but also minimizes their ability to comprehend the variations in the language, thereby leading to an adverse effect on learner development. In the long run, the use of texting affects the quality of grammar, composition, and spelling when writing assignments, term papers, and desertions.  It, therefore, reduces the degree of fluency of a learner to effectively and boldly communicate their points.

Other than the grammatical and structural development of language itself, texting also deprives learners of the valuable time that they would otherwise use constructively for academic work. Most teenagers spend much of their time on their phones as compared to the time they dedicate to their studies. This trend makes teenage students perform poorly because their memories are often engrossed in texting and their mobile phones than academics. Again, most of the mobile phones have applications that predetermine words and spellings. This lowers the creativity and memory of the learners regarding different words. Consequently, when such learners are left alone to reason and write correct sentences without any point of reference, they become incapacitated (Singh 1087).

Though texting has been represented negatively in the context of teenage literature, there are some benefits associated with it as well. LENHART, LING, CAMPBELL, & PURCELL (n/d) posits that texting improves literacy by providing the learners with emotional relief and the ability to improve on their language acquisition. Through regular testing, the learners can memorize some words and therefore master such words. Additionally, it increases the level of interaction between the learners and their peers. It is also indicated that texting improves the level of language acquisition among introvert learners. In this regard, it is apparent that learning texting can also act as a very vital tool for boosting and promoting teenage literacy and language acquisition. For teens that use the right format of the words, texting is beneficial as it can enhance mastery of grammar and spelling as well.

Conclusion

Texting has a profound effect on teen literacy, especially language acquisition. It has both the positives and negative effects on language development and acquisition and the general academic performance among teenage students. Texting increases the level of interaction among teenagers and thus helps in relieving their stress. At the same time, it deprives learners of the opportunity and time to study, thereby leading to poor performance in their academics and grading.

Works Cited

LENHART, AMANDA., LING, RICH ., CAMPBELL, SCOTT  & PURCELL KRISTEN. Teens and Mobile Phones. Pew Research Center: Internet and Technology, 2014

Ling, Rich; Baron, Naomi S.; Lenhart, Amanda; Campbell, Scott W. (2 October 2014). “Girls Text Weird”: Gender, Texting, and Identity Among Teens.” Journal of Children and Media. 8 (4): 423–439.

Singh, Sima. A Study on Text Messaging Affects Teen Literacy and Language. XVI Annual Conference Proceedings. 1085-1090January, 2015. Accessed at http://www.internationalconference.in/XVI_AIC/INDEX.HTM,