<p>Gosh, it must be great to have so many friends and so many important things that you have to tell these people so instantaneously that you just have to text 60-200 times per day. To be honest, I think it is ridiculous. If you text 40-60 times per day, for example, how much continuous thought and attention can you be giving to any other topic in your life? Kids need to learn to pay attention, not be distracted by 200 LOL and CULater etc messages per day. </p>
<p>I think it is harassment to text your college aged child even 5 times per day, quite frankly. I would be furious if my college aged child was messaging me that often, because it means that they are not listening to or really engaging in what is going on in their immediate environment. I did not need to hear what they are eating, who they are with, what they are wearing, how every single test went, etc. Maybe in the modern era that would be considered ‘neglectful’- but I actually trust my kids to handle most of the every day stuff themselves and prefer to actually have conversations with them about things that can’t be conveyed in a word or two. </p>
<p>Furthermore, where I live people walk down the sidewalks texting and as a result not paying attention to the people near them. I find it socially offensive, am tired of having to be the navigator and have decided to periodically engage in a subtle form of protest by walking right into them and telling them that I am not responsible for ensuring their safety on the sidewalks- should they be able to get their noses out of their phones for long enough to actually communicate. </p>
<p>Just because there are chips and apps that allow us to do all the things that technology does- does not make the outcomes or consequences of the technology necessarily desirable or even pleasant. Quite frankly, I think people are losing the plot on all of it and instead of improving communication, technology is ultimately very isolating.</p>