Texting or Talking?
The telephone was an amazing invention. People could finally speak to each other instantly from one home to . The mobile phone took this technology further, meaning we make contact with people to and from almost anywhere in the world. But having the instant ability to talk to one another, it seems many of us prefer to communicate by text.
I don't mean we have taken up letter writing again. Although a handwritten letter has a personal touch, sending it by snail mail is too slow to satisfy our desire (keep) in touch immediately. But our smartphones now allow us to do is enabling us to communicate in any number of quick, cheap but silent ways. A study in the UK a few years ago found49 percent of teenagers preferred to send a text rather than speak to someone.
Certainly sending an SMS, text or message via a chat app means we can compose what we want to say, and we can be (efficient) in saying it-especially if we express ourselves by using emojis. It can also be quicker than having to chat with someone, although I feel you can still end up (waste) time by having a full discussion by text. Text messaging also allows privacy other people can't overhear your text you're in a public place such as on a train.
But texting instead of talking can seem antisocial; we may even forget the art of pleasantries. A text can (misinterpret) too because you miss out on-a speaker's intonation (语调). Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott noted, "We always speak with melody and intonation to our voice... you take that channel of information out of communication, you lose another way sense is being conveyed."
Of course texting and talking is the worst thing to do. Who deserves your attention when two people are communicating with you? It's then we have to decide who has the most interesting thing to say.
