The Tantalizing Telephone

Texting While Driving Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDlYSPVro0Q
I think that our generation has become so engrossed in our technology that we rarely stop to think if our actions are appropriate anymore. With the divide between generations and the difference in communication, a cell phone at dinner may seem natural to someone my age, but it considered impolite and flat out rude to parents or grandparents. Family time has changed from generation to generation, which in turn has caused our values to change. With each new technology developed, a larger gap is formed between child and grandparent, between parenting and control, between child and face-to-face time. Cell phones have everything from dialing capabilities to Internet, from a camera to a video player, these days. The idea that one can separate themselves from technology entirely at any point throughout the day has become a laughing matter. Whether you are at the dinner table or in class, you can receive emails from work, notifications on your phone from emails delivered from your work, a voicemail describing the emails from work, and a text asking you if you have gotten the emails sent. There is no escaping the train of technology, and it feels as though something as simple as family dinner will inevitably be interrupted in some way.
What has changed in the minds of the new generations? Why has talking on your phone become normal and respect levels dropped? Where does the disrespect boundary begin and end? And has the level of respect been compromised because of technology developments?
We have all been out to eat with that one person that can not set down their phone. There is nothing more annoying then talking to someone, and right in the middle of your conversation, BEEP! BEEP! The text alert goes off and the attention is immediately shifted. You continue talking, you keep telling your story, and your friend is completely distracted while she opens the text, nods as if she is still listening, and then continues to start typing back as if it is not rude or affecting your conversation in the slightest. So what are you supposed to do? Keep talking? Stop until they have responded? Its an awkward moment. You start talking a little slower, because you are distracted watching her scramble through the process, and by the time her phone says "Message Sent" you have forgotten what you were saying anyways.
How would this have been different five years ago? Ten years ago? My mother gets so angry whenever we go out to eat because my phone goes off at least once during the meal. If I were smart, I would turn it on silent mode, but most of the time, I don't even think about it.I am used to being interrupted and it doesn't bother me as much as it does her. Everything from daily alarms, horoscopes, invitations from guest lists for clubs, friends making plans for the night, daily quotes, and BIM messages come through on a daily basis. I have gotten so used to opening and closing them, it doesn't even phase me anymore. My mother on the other hand, has a phone that can take pictures, that does have SMS and MMS messaging capabilities, and can connect to the Internet if needed, but she only uses it for one thing- to call people. She has never sent a text, she has no idea how to receive a message or to take a picture, and could not download an application for anything if her life depended on it. All of which I make fun of her for, give her a hard time about, and ultimately think of her as "behind the times"- but who's "time" is the right "time" to be in? She has more time to talk face-to face, she rarely gets interrupted at all throughout her day, and she uses technology for what she needs it for and controls when that is. As many laughs as I have gotten watching her try to send a text or pull up an email, I'm sure she could get ten times more seeing how attached my friends and I are to our phones and how we jump at every beep they make, or how pathetic we look trying to respond to a text from a cute boy and how frantic we are if the battery dies on a Friday afternoon.
Not only does texting create an impolite existence, it also presents many dangers. I was shocked when I started researching texting stats and how much the trend has caught on. From creating its own language, to causing deadly accidents, texting has become a part of everyday life. I ran across a Dr. Phil episode where he had a young girl on that sends about 5,000 texts a month. 5,000. She admits to texting while driving and even getting into minor accidents because of texting behind the wheel. It shocked me to think that there are teens so addicted to texting and up-to-the-minute-updates, that they are willing to sacrifice their safety and the safety of others on the road. At what point does the law have to step in? And how effective can a No Texting law be, being so hard to enforce or to monitor? Why has chatting over SMS placed such a spell over our teens and how has it changed priorities and values? And how can we convince these who are addicted that it IS in fact dangerous? These are all questions that we will be asking, and hopefully answering, in the years to come. The more preventative measures we take, the better educated the younger generations can be on the risks associated with new technologies.