Reflections

While writing and researching for this blog, I have learned some very interesting facts about texting that I did not know before. I did not know the high percentage of people who acknowledge texting an driving is bad yet still do it, I did not know texting may help your spelling, I didn’t even know there were laws against texting and driving and that you can get a ticket for it. This project also helped me with analyzing pictures to try and figure out what message the author was trying to send. Working on this was a great experience that was different from traditional English projects; I feel like it helped me sharpen my writing skills even more.

Visual Rhetoric 2

In this cartoon a mother is trying to broaden her son’s skills by getting him to read a book instead of texting his friends. Since she realizes books are vastly different in length, she tries to appeal to his interest by getting him to think of it as an ongoing text message.

This picture illustrates pathos and logos.

The caption is logos because it is saying that there are going to be times where we have to do tasks that we don’t enjoy, but in order to get through them, we should try to relate it to something we actually enjoy doing.

Pathos is also shown in this cartoon. There are a lot of people that do not read books because they feel it’s boring. This is also illustrated in the cartoon as the look on the boy’s face as he takes the book shows he is not looking forward to reading it.

I can fully relate to this cartoon because I definitely text more than I read books. Sometimes I feel I just don’t have the attention span to stay focused long enough to read them. It’s rare for me to pick up a book and read it for entertainment; what gets me to read books the most are my assignments for school.

Carpenter, D. (n.d.) Retrieved December 6, 2011 from http://www.cartoonstock.com/cartoonview.asp?search=site&catref=dcr0773&MA_Category=&ANDkeyword=texting&ORkeyword=&TITLEkeyword=&NEGATIVEkeyword=

Visual Rhetoric 1

 This picture is showing a devastating car crash that was caused by a driver that was texting and driving. I think the target audience would be teenagers first, since they text the most and have the least experience on the road. I also think this could be targeted to adults that have a texting habit. The purpose of the picture is to warn people of the consequences of texting while driving and that it is a serious issue.

The message at the bottom of the picture shows this image has logos. It’s suggesting that the driver did not think texting and driving was a big deal. The driver nonchalantly brushes off the fact that he is busy driving.

Mythos is in this picture because the accident is a reminder to teach people how dangerous texting and driving can be to the community. It’s basically trying to warn people and prevent them from accidents such as the one in the picture from happening.

Pathos is in the picture because it is showing the absolute worst case scenario of texting while driving. This picture makes you kind of feel bad or sad for the driver because such a simple message cost him his life.

Retrieved December 2, 2011 from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpTjHAXTr9OaK5c0QSxJKn1SDYj6jDKo0Tp_dIExQc_UnxQZzhj8SMc3miDmGSjf3d1Oad7uo0I5lgMEjrvhnYd3nsTdaJojYBUWKA5CuojNBcc2e1wZU2ssELzS0RzbDWTXhp0oD6Ns/s1600/texting-while-driving2.jpg

On The Go

I admit that my attention span may not be as sharp as I would like it be. I don’t have ADD or ADHD, but there are times where I believe I do and the doctors just keep missing it during my checkups. I can be very attentive during class, but once I go home and have to read assignments out of a textbook, my mind will wander all over the place. I’ll start off by reading the book for a few minutes, then my focus will shift to the tv for a couple seconds, then back to the book and after a few more seconds of reading I end up playing video games. I think my short attention span is just another reason why I like to text so much.

The younger generations of kids are definitely used to getting things at a really fast rate with all the advanced technology there is now. Susan Greenfield, a research scientist of Oxford University, is worried that the mid 21^st century mind might be characterized by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathize, and have a shaky sense of identity (Elmhirst, 2009).

Our brains are easily molded. Possible trends like increased Ritalin prescriptions for people with ADD and rises in autism diagnosis may have come about from over excessive texting habits (Elmhirst, 2009). This is an interesting take on the effects of texting that I have never heard before. There is little evidence to prove these allegations, but it will be interesting to see what research shows once it’s looked into more.

Greenfield also believes those who spend too much time on computers will struggle to see the consequences of their own actions, even if they are damaging themselves; i.e. schizophrenia, gambling, and obesity (Elmhirst, 2009). Mobile phones nowadays are like mini computers so I feel this is relevant to the subject. In a way it’s linked to the “Cell Phone Zone” that was discussed earlier in the blog. Greenfield is warning people that technology can take over someone’s life so much that they kind of lose sight with reality. I think that may be the case in extreme situations, but I don’t think most people will have issues that serious when it comes to texting.

I think it is important to carefully monitor how frequently we as a society use technology. After reading about Ms. Greenfield’s theories on how texting may have affected our society, I know I may need to look in the mirror and scale back a little bit on how often I text my friends. The last thing I want to do is have a hobby of mine turn into an addiction and then lose focus on what is important in life.

Elmhirst, S. (2009). Mind bending. New Statesman. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from the EBSCOHost Database.

Does texting negatively affect your literacy skills?

In the introduction, I mentioned that I carefully pay attention to what I’m putting in my papers so that I’m not adding text lingo to them. I would definitely look like a fool if I had acronyms and misspelled words flooded in say a job application or my resume’. I text my friends with the text lingo so much though that it can be a challenge at times to turn it on and off. Thankfully I have yet to turn in an important paper with my casual text. I think texting at the rate I do has affected my literacy skills in a way, but I’ve always wondered if it was a negative or positive thing.

Most people believe texting has a negative effect on people’s ability to read and write, most likely because of the absurd acronyms that are formed, but research says otherwise. Data suggests that exposure to texts has a positive effect on spelling (Powell, 2011). There may be something in the very nature of texting that helps people with literacy. In order to read and produce texts, one needs a good level of phonological awareness, which is the ability to understand sound structure of a language (Powell, 2011). This really surprised me because I certainly expected research to be the other way around. Maybe all the texting I do helps me somehow after all.

Another interesting thing that researched showed was that exposure to misspelled words affects adults more than it does children. Some researchers suggest the reason for that is because kids haven’t fully developed their spelling skills so it doesn’t affect them as much (Powell, 2011). I have heard that the best time to learn a new language is when you’re young and text messages can definitely be considered its own language; maybe that has some part in it as well.

Research shows that texting actually does have a positive effect on people’s literary skills. Despite the research, over 60% of the adults tested still claimed they felt texting was undermining their written language skills (Powell, 2011). I guess some people will always believe what they want to believe. It’s very similar to the study about texting and driving where a high percentage of people believe that texting and driving is a bad thing, yet still do it anyway. The connection is that it’s hard to break strong habits.

Now that I know that texting does not negatively affect my literacy skills, I can continue to text my friends as much I as I want without worrying about losing my English skills. I sure won’t start turning in papers or applications with a bunch of text abbreviations, but it’s nice to know I’m actually enhancing my skills by doing something I enjoy.

Powell, D. & Dixon, M. (2011) Does sms text messaging help or harm adult’s knowledge of standard spelling? Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from the EBSCOHost database.

Texting and Driving: Is It Taken Seriously?

I don’t even mess with my phone unless I’m at a stop light. When I do I’m staring at my screen for several seconds at a time constantly changing my focus between my phone and the traffic light I’m at. I have been on the passenger’s side of the car while the driver was texting and that is always a much more stressful situation to me. The worst that has ever happened in my experience was the car swerving off the road for a couple seconds; thankfully no one was hurt. I temporarily took the phone away from the driver for the rest of that car ride. There was no way I was going to allow that to happen again and in retrospect I am glad I did now that I see how high the risk of an accident is.

Since the recent widespread popularity of mobile phones over the past few years, one huge problem has arisen that far supersedes any minor complaint such as say a phone’s bad service; people texting while simultaneously trying to drive. Most people use their cell phones at a high rate for so many different things, so it’s no surprise that people use their phones while in the car, but the problem is when it distracts them from driving.

Texting while driving causes a distraction in three ways, it takes at least part of the driver’s focus away from the task of driving, texting while driving causes you to take at least one hand off the wheel to read and send messages, and it forces drivers to take their eyes off the road for an extended period of time (Gardner, 2010). When you text and drive, your eyes are off the road much longer than they would be if you were to pick up the phone to answer a call. On average people devote 4.5 seconds to their phone while texting and driving. That is long enough to drive the length of a football field at 55mph without looking (Gardner, 2010).

Drivers are 23 times more likely to get in an accident when they text and drive. Crash investigation forms usually do not list “texting while driving” as an accident cause. It’s not listed because it’s such a new problem, but the longer it exists the more likely it is to be researched and taken seriously (Gardner, 2010). I always knew it was dangerous to text while driving, but I didn’t know drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. This statistic certainly will have me second guessing whether I should be texting even at atop lights.

Teens are already risky drivers on the road because of their inexperience; texting while driving only enhances that and elevates their chances of crashing. 94% of those admitting to texting while driving agree that it makes them more likely to get in an accident (Gardner, 2010). The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety did a study in 2009 and found that 94% of the drivers they surveyed believe it is unacceptable to text while behind the wheel, yet 21% of those same people did it anyway.

Despite being aware that texting can cause accidents, many drivers text anyway because they feel they are not the problem. Drivers are overconfident in their skills and believe they can text and drive safely (Gardner, 2010). People admit that the act is risky and unacceptable, yet still do it. It’s just like I pointed out in the previous section, not everyone abides by the law. Some enjoy breaking the rules to see how much they can get away with. In this case though, I think most people have a similar mindset to buzzed drinking and driving. Most people believe one drink won’t affect their driving; at the same time I believe most people think answering one text won’t hurt either.

26 states and Washington D.C. have laws prohibiting texting while driving. 21 of the states allow officers to ticket a driver solely for texting while driving. The 5 remaining states only ticket you if another offense has been committed such as not wearing a seat belt (Gardner, 2010). Officers have a hard time detecting the offense unless there is erratic driving behavior. It’s not as obvious as violations like running a red light or making an illegal U-turn.

There are a few studies about the effectiveness of laws that ban texting while driving and they all have different results. One study showed that in-vehicle texting dropped 70% in California months after a law came out. Another study showed that the bans worked initially, but the drivers would gradually revert back to their old habits over time. A study in North Carolina showed that a law prohibiting the use of any mobile device by anyone under the age of 18 had little to no affect at all (Gardner, 2010).

I think that the more people acknowledge texting and driving as a serious issue, the less people are likely to attempt it. There are plenty of graphic pictures and videos spreading around about the subject. I’m curious to see if those pictures and videos will have an effect on drivers deciding if they will text and drive. For me personally I think that if I’m driving by myself then I’ll continue to text only at stop lights; I wouldn’t do it if there are other passengers in my car though. I’m not sure if the problem will ever completely go away, since our cell phones are so valuable to us, but dramatically decreasing the death toll will definitely do wonders for our society.

Gardner, L. (2010, November). Wat 2 do abt txt’n & drv’n (aka: what to do about the problem of texting while driving?) CPCU eJournal. Retrieved November 4, 2011, from the EBSCOHost database.

Cell Phone Hypnosis

When I get a text from a friend my face just lights up; as soon as I hear my phone alert me by beeps or vibrating, I feel as though I have to answer that text as soon as possible. The anticipation to see what my friend has sent reminds me of the day before Christmas. You can try to do other activities to get through the day, but in the back of your mind all you can think about are your gifts. It’s the same with text messages for me, sometimes I can’t always reply as soon as I’d like, but all I can think about is what is in that message.

Cell phones have an effect on all of us. People tend to blur out anything and everything around them when texting, chatting on the phone, checking voicemail, etc. Cell phones have a way of making people zone out without even realizing there are others in the area (Gozzi, 2008). There have been a few times when people were literally yelling at me trying to get my attention but I didn’t hear a thing because I was so into the conversation I was having on my phone. I’ve seen others go through the same scenario as well.

This “zoning out” has been dubbed the “Cell Phone Zone” (Gozzi, 2008). It’s when people focus solely on their cell phone and are completely oblivious to their surroundings. Some are so pulled away from reality that they don’t realize others can hear their conversations (Gozzi, 2008). I see this all the time when I’m out walking. I find it comical that some can be so loud that everyone hears them, yet if you bring it up they get extremely agitated and rude.

People of all ages, male or female, are susceptible to get caught up in the cell phone zone. In June 2008, almost 40% of drivers between the ages of 16 – 30 text while driving (Gozzi, 2008). This statistic tells me that not only do a wide range of people have phones, but they’re also on the road distracted and driving. I think that the advancement of cell phones has a lot to do with cause of these distractions.

Cell phones are getting more and more advanced allowing one to watch tv, movies, and play games; not to mention the thousands of apps you can add as well. Phones are so advanced nowadays that they’re called smart phones. I am a bit hesitant to buy one of my own because I feel I would be so caught up and distracted by the number of different apps and features that it would be a struggle to get some things done.

Since we all know how focused people can be while using cell phones, I think that if people would put their phones on silent while they’re driving, they would be less distracted and wouldn’t feel obligated to answer a text or phone call. Most states do have laws against cell phone usage while driving but like drinking and driving, not everyone abides by the law.

Gozzi, R. (2008, October). Metaphors in action: The cell phone zone.  A Review of General Semantics. Retrieved November 4, 2011, from the EBSCOHost database.