Thumbing a ride on a roadway? No! Thumbs Up – an indication of approval? No! A new phenomenon has infiltrated our nation and entered most homes! Questions we might ask: Is it a danger for particular age groups? Is it addictive? Can it be life-threatening? Is it a disease? A mental disorder? What is this phenomenon called? For want of a better description, we can call it Digitalized Detachment! A more common name would be – Text Messaging!
The NY Times on May 13, 2010 contained an article entitled: “Cell-phones Now Used More for Data Than for Calls” By Jenna Wortham. She writes: “…although almost 90 percent of households in the United States now have a cell-phone, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has stagnated…Instead of talking on their cell-phones, people are making use of all the extras that iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smart-phones were also designed to do — browse the Web, listen to music, watch television, play games and send e-mail and text messages. The number of text messages sent per user increased by nearly 50 percent nationwide last year…and for the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, e-mail messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cell-phone calls…Originally, talking was the only cell-phone application…but now it’s less than half of the traffic on mobile networks.”
An ABC News Study released in July 2007 stated: “The addictiveness of cell phones, and the dangers of calling while driving, has become a high-profile issue over the past several years. But the effects of text messaging - which is likely even more dangerous because drivers must avert their eyes from the road for longer periods - have been mostly ignored. Is addiction to text messaging interfering with the lives of teens and endangering their safety? The evidence is mounting: Twenty-eight percent of teens admit to sending text messages while driving, according to a study just released by the American Automobile Association and Seventeen magazine. Signs of a youth population increasingly hooked on text messaging abound. Sixty-five percent of people between the ages of 18 and 28 send text messages, nearly double the population average of 35 percent, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. In total, a whopping 93.8 billion text messages were sent in the United States during the last six months of 2006, nearly double the 48.6 billion sent in the same period in 2005…Text message addiction is slowly showing up on the radar of mental health professionals…The Priory Group, a top mental health provider in Britain, announced in 2003 that they had begun treating patients for phone-texting addiction.”
Wikipedia contains these thoughts: “Today text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service, with 74% of all mobile phone users worldwide or 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion phone subscribers at end of 2007 being active users of the Short Message Service. In countries such as Finland, Sweden and Norway, over 85% of the population use SMS. The European average is about 80% and North America is rapidly catching up with over 60% active users of SMS by end of 2008.”
Is text-messaging a waste of time? While some would argue that it is valid means of communication, others would argue that it consumes too much of one’s time in meaningless thumb-chatter. How one uses his/her time is an important factor in the development of life and value choices. The Message translates Luke 6:31-35, “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously…” For this behavior, you’ll get a Thumbs Up! Consider these things with me!
The NY Times on May 13, 2010 contained an article entitled: “Cell-phones Now Used More for Data Than for Calls” By Jenna Wortham. She writes: “…although almost 90 percent of households in the United States now have a cell-phone, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has stagnated…Instead of talking on their cell-phones, people are making use of all the extras that iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smart-phones were also designed to do — browse the Web, listen to music, watch television, play games and send e-mail and text messages. The number of text messages sent per user increased by nearly 50 percent nationwide last year…and for the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, e-mail messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cell-phone calls…Originally, talking was the only cell-phone application…but now it’s less than half of the traffic on mobile networks.”
An ABC News Study released in July 2007 stated: “The addictiveness of cell phones, and the dangers of calling while driving, has become a high-profile issue over the past several years. But the effects of text messaging - which is likely even more dangerous because drivers must avert their eyes from the road for longer periods - have been mostly ignored. Is addiction to text messaging interfering with the lives of teens and endangering their safety? The evidence is mounting: Twenty-eight percent of teens admit to sending text messages while driving, according to a study just released by the American Automobile Association and Seventeen magazine. Signs of a youth population increasingly hooked on text messaging abound. Sixty-five percent of people between the ages of 18 and 28 send text messages, nearly double the population average of 35 percent, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. In total, a whopping 93.8 billion text messages were sent in the United States during the last six months of 2006, nearly double the 48.6 billion sent in the same period in 2005…Text message addiction is slowly showing up on the radar of mental health professionals…The Priory Group, a top mental health provider in Britain, announced in 2003 that they had begun treating patients for phone-texting addiction.”
Wikipedia contains these thoughts: “Today text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service, with 74% of all mobile phone users worldwide or 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion phone subscribers at end of 2007 being active users of the Short Message Service. In countries such as Finland, Sweden and Norway, over 85% of the population use SMS. The European average is about 80% and North America is rapidly catching up with over 60% active users of SMS by end of 2008.”
Is text-messaging a waste of time? While some would argue that it is valid means of communication, others would argue that it consumes too much of one’s time in meaningless thumb-chatter. How one uses his/her time is an important factor in the development of life and value choices. The Message translates Luke 6:31-35, “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously…” For this behavior, you’ll get a Thumbs Up! Consider these things with me!
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