Text Response Research Paper

1277 Words6 Pages
I sat in the library with my book, enjoying the serenity of the quiet space. Around me, about twenty underclassmen are doing the same. We are all engrossed in the spell of silence, happy to have a moment alone with our thoughts. Then, from a faraway corner of the hall, a faint tone rings out. Bzz. Bzz. Ding! As the sound waves flood through the stacks, twenty one hands reflexively dive for twenty one pockets. Eyes jolt from from books to screens. Only one phone had a message, and yet everyone checked their phones. One tiny ping was all it took to trigger what has become an involuntary response. The phone I carry have a stranglehold on my attention span, and I put up little resistance. It is preferable, it seems, to be continuously ready to…show more content…
By checking my phone at every alert I can communicate more efficiently and stay forever in the know. Lightning-fast text responses in particular can save me from dreadful, tedious and unnecessary phone calls. In allowing my smartphone to cut out it’s silly phone feature, I can live a simpler, easier life. What a chore it must be to speak to another person, what a burden I carry when I answer a call! The ‘power-response’ is fast becoming the new normal in communication. Little packets of text whizzing about may appear superior to hearing another’s voice, but they are nowhere near as effective. When I power-respond, I hardly consider the content I am reacting to. Quirks in language, implied meanings and vague allusions routinely soar undetected over my head. I spend even less time formulating my response. The net result is a ‘conversation’ where neither party is entirely clear what the other means to say. To illustrate my point, I include an excerpt of a power-response conversation I had with a friend. I am…show more content…
that sarcasm right.” DN: “nooooooo of course its not” EE: “huh.” This all took place in under 20 seconds — arguably faster than it could have over phone. By the end, however, one party was left entirely confused as to what had been requested. My friend was not sarcastically-challenged; he was simply unable to pick up what I was putting down in the seconds dedicated to his power-response. Had we been talking over the phone, this confusion could have been avoided outright. The power-response has led us to value instant messaging over instantaneous understanding. Notification triggered power-responses are redefining long distance communication and similarly disrupting person-to-person interaction. Rarely if ever do we completely disable our devices notifications, and so we find ourselves responding to their call in most inappropriate situations. Often, we place a live conversation on hold to tend to our squaking pockets. Take for example, this hypothetical situation that I have seen play out dozens of times: As I discuss life with Jerry, Jerry feels a vibration against his leg. Without warning Jerry draws his iPhone, loads a response, fires it into the ether and returns it to his holster. For a moment, he disconnects from my conversation at the request of his device. And though it was only for a few seconds, it was all the time needed for the damage to be done. Jerry’s lapse in attention

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